Less than 10 minutes into the film, the intensity of the scenes and subject hits you hard. You might try to stay cool and pull on a tough face but your swift mind is already digging into your life’s darkest secret. That is Lens.
A gritty raw plot handled with utmost care to provide the best experience and understanding for the audience. It is non preachy but it makes you to think about your definition of do’s and don’ts. It is predictable towards the end but you won’t budge from your seat since you can feel pins and needles in your heart.
If you crave for a quirky and bold tale, then this is for you. After the watch, if you had to think twice before login into your social media accounts, the film wins. If you had to double check before letting someone into your house and your comfort zone, the film wins. And, if you decide to not talk about the film to anyone especially your partner and friends, the film wins.
Lens provides the answer to quite a number of question since it revolves around the core reason which sprouted enormous number of venomous activities around us today. Cybercrime.
Please watch it, ALONE. Watching with your partner or group of friends will ignite a slight feel of being judged continuously throughout and after the film and your consciousness works well when alone. And, henceforth please know what you are watching and whoever is watching you since we, human are not saints.
A romantic psychological thriller presented in the most transparent way to satisfy both the class and mass audience. Everything was crystal clear and simple just the way KVA kept saying in few of his recent interviews “direct-ar point-ku vanga”. The story revolves around the four avatars of the lead characters through various timeline and how they interconnect between each other. Definitely not a flawless film, but personally, I felt it was one of the films in the recent time that had met the expectations of the audience. Yes
KVA’s script. Complex story in the simplest form. Numerous climaxes which are all equally engaging and important.
Kiran (art director), Om Prakash (cinematographer), Anthony (editor). Can’t even tell the difference between the sets and real places. Visuals were like a dream and the tones were very relatable. Slick editing.
Harris Jayaraj. Despite having several similarities to Ko, the background score of Anegan was excellent. It did not overshadow the scenes.
Amyra Dastur. Brilliant, knock-out performance. Innocent Samudra, eccentric Madhu, soft-spoken Kalyani, Amyra fitted amazingly into each character. She looks experienced, expresses well and shared equal screen space with Dhanush. A dream debut in Tamizh for Amyra. I would loveee to watch her in more films this coming year!
Dhanush. He was top-notch as Kaali, thou he resemble Prabhu Deva heavyly. Natural performer as Murugappa/Munaruna and Ashwin (the IT professional) subtly reminds me of Ko’s Ashwin (Jeeva).
The few minutes of mimicry by Dhanush. Worked big time.
The crux of the plot; whether it is indeed a love story that transcends beyond reincarnations or merely creative imaginations induced by the drug influence was left entirely to the audience.
Having a girl named Aung San Suu Kyi in Samudra’s class registry was a well-played move.
The final fight. Fight takes place in banyan trees area and the couple got buried under some branches for sometime (reference to Kaali-Kalyani), Ashwin made a jump towards the sea (reference to Munaruna) and he fought like a warrior too. Coincidence much?
Songs placement.
Personally, I would like to believe that it was a combination of rebirth (Munaruna-Samudra), creative imagination (Warrior-Princess), narration of real-life incident (Kaali-Kalyani) and today’s reality (Ashwin-Madhu). Munaruna-Samudra : Story of Ashwin-Madhu’s past life. A fantasy twist by including the tree carving at the final scene and guruji insisting that Madhu is indeed having memories from her past lives. Warrior-Princess : A complete imagination of Madhu due to the medicine prescribed by the psychiatrist. The whole regression hypnosis session was recorded; and the information/details from Madhu’s story are used to create new online games. Also to be noted, Meera’s desktop was filled with ghost wallpaper to give the impression that Meera was indeed working on a game concept based on the ghosts. However, she suffered from paranoid delusion MAY BE due to the excessive work load/stress/usage of drug. This was also the only episode where the hero escaped from death, similar to the current situation of Ashwin-Madhu. Kaali-Kalyani : The whole incident was narrated to Madhu by Kalyani’s father through specific sketches on the wall of his room. Madhu identified the final resting place of Kaali-Kalyani through the sketches which has been strongly imprinted in her mind. And it was also through the sketches that she recognized Inspector Gopinath. Hence, the resemblance of Ashwin-Madhu to Kaali-Kalyani was only a coincident. Despite having huge scope of being a full-fledged physiological thriller, personally I am glad that it wasn’t or else the film might have lost its charm due to some ambiguities. And yeah, thank you KVA sir for saving the ladies from another round of woman-bashing songs. The characters of Amyra in Anegan were strong and sincere to their man and love. Even Dangamaari was excused from such comments about women. Also, for not giving us a clichéd ending of Ashwin remembering his past life and believing in Madhu’s stories. Thank you. Highly entertaining and engaging film. Love, JST
Yennai Arindhaal (If You Know Me) is GVM’s breaking point. Sudhish Kamath’s article on how YA happened is a clear evident that YA was NOT just a mere attempt by GVM to keep himself in the industry, it was more than that.
Completely predictable storyline for a GVM’s film. What irked me even more was how GVM didn’t even try to prove that the audience’s predictions were wrong. An honest cop, logically thinking dad, gorgeous fiancé, a baby and tell me how hard is it to connect the dots right from the trailer itself. The ‘Thenmozhi nu pere vetchikite, Tamil therilena..’ dialogue was enough to decipher that Thenmozhi sitting beside Sathyadev in the flight was not a coincidence.
Yes
1. Ajith Kumar. Thank you being Sathyadev IPS and not ‘Thala’ on screen. Being a director’s actor, Ajith was exceptionally ‘perfect’ as a police. (Perfect in this context means = A policeman in real life with loosely cut/proper cut uniform with a slight ‘thoppai’. I had enough watching actors playing police officers wearing body fit uniforms with sleeves short enough to show off their biceps and boot cut pants.)
2. Arun Vijay. Take a bow. This man has finally gotten his much needed break after a long long time since Pandavar Bhoomi and Thadaiyaara Thaaka. GVM’s bad guys are always vengeful and require attention, so does Victor. He doesn’t look fake or inexperience. He was confident and brutal. Additionally, I wouldn’t want to watch Sathyadev, the stylish police officer going after a mainstream-overused-old villain. Arun Vijay was young and slick.
3. Trisha. 20 minutes was long enough to make Hemanika stay alive even after the THREE-LONG-HOURS of a police trilogy. It has been 2 days since I watched YA, and I can still clearly remember about Hemanika’s costumes, the colours, her hair-do and her eyes which were full of untold love. Trisha hit the jackpot when she did Jessie in Vinnaithandi Varuvaya. Hemanika is a bonus. Thank you Uthara Menon, for making Trisha to look like a million bucks. The last time Trisha was this gorgeous on screen was in Mankatha (styled by Vasuki Bhaskar), IMHO. Oh yeah, special mention for that pink/blue saree that Hemanika wore the night before the wedding. Goshhh!
4.The final 20-30 minutes. This compensated the slowness/draggy feel of the first half. Racy, slick and GVM-ish.
5. GVM’s trademark scenes. The love proposal, how Sathyadev and Hemanika’s relationship blossomed through Mazhai Vara Poguthey song, the communication between Sathyadev and Victor, Esha in the hands of brutal Lisa, Esha handling over Sathyadev’s shoes.
6. Harris Jeyaraj. Racy BGM with brilliantly visualized songs. Unnakena Venum Sollu, Mazhai Vara Poguthu and Idhayathil Etho Ondru made huge imprints in my mind. Too lovely that I’m listening to them while writing this. O.O
7. Not a single mention about Hemanika’s failed marriage by Sathyadev yet he was willing to marry her not out of pity but only due to love. GVM has teased us here yet again after Vettaiyaadu Vilayadu. How many of us are willing to accept a partner based on loved without rekindling their past?
8. Sathyadev and Victor had one similarity, their loved one was their weakness and they both made some reckless decision in order to defend them. Lisa for Victor and Esha for Sathyadev.
9. Loved Anikha as Esha in the film. Her body language and facial reaction when Sathyadev brought Thenmozhi home was too adorable. ‘Sure pa..enna pa..’ Such a cutie pie she is.
Nope.Nope.
1. Thenmozhi (The character, not Anushka). A collateral damage as Sathyadev said. Thenmozhi is a very crucial role in the film but was completely lost with the shallow characterization and the irritating introduction. If only, the movie skipped all those irrelevant scenes (her presentation/ponnu seeing/ poorly picturized Yaen Ennai song) and started off right from the ticket counter, at least Thenmozhi would have been a statement character. However, Anushka’s screen presence was decent.
2. The final fight. For a ruthless villain as Victor, I was hoping for an intelligent fight but GVM made it a ‘homely’ action sequence, probably to maintain the classiness of the film.
3. Lengthy dialogues. Loud and annoying mostly. Arun Vijay’s character was actually screaming throughout the film, reminds me of Kaaka Kaaka’s bad guy.
4. Runtime. 3 hours for a cop story is completely unfavourable.
5. Ajith’s look. I totally get it that the film shows the life of a cop in several stages hence, multiple style of appearance was necessary. His look changed constantly throughout the film with the flashback portion and at one point I completely lost which one is the higlight of the film. Too many looks spoiled the fun.
GVM’s films are usually unique. Three elements that are evidently clear in his each films :
His appreciation and respect towards the elders in the family. His film mostly portrays parents-children relationship in a most lovable way. Fathers/grandfathers who are motivational, logical and who stands by their children no matter what may come.
The characterizations of the lead actors. They win, loose, fall in love, get their heart broken. They smile, they cry. They get scared, they freak out. They got hurt, they are beaten up, and they fight. Most importantly, they are not superheroes.
The lead ladies are exceptionally strong and independent. They don’t beat around the bushes and they are capable of expressing their opinions and feelings in long term. And they are always remarkably beautiful through GVM’s lense.
If Yennai Arindhaal is intentionally made to complete a cop trilogy by GVM, then IMHO, YA is the weakest. It fell flat in the fine line between action and emotion, the GVM’s recipe.
The film has charisma, style and stud rows of casts with a slightly repetitive storyline which was overhyped. Despite the draggy portions, Yennai Aridhaal is a one time watch for the brilliant work of the cast and crew and personally, I enjoyed the film as a normal movie goer. Else, if you are expecting a completely different police story without clichés, then drop your expectations outside of the theatre’s door and GO watch YA. Oh yeah, also do watch with an Ajith Kumar’s fan, you will be kept entertained no matter how the film ties up. Definitely worth your bucks, RM13-RM20 in Malaysia.
A fine story line with multi level of coating to make it presentable. Which of course, wouldn’t have worked out if it was not for Shankar’s eye for magnificent, Vikram’s dedication, ARR’s magic and PC Sreeram’s lens. The film revolves loosely around the darker side of modeling career, fame craze, love, jealousy and physical beauty.
Loved
1. Vikram’s transformation.
2. Prosthetic make-up for the hunchback character.
3. Shankar’s eye for location. Huge.
4. Amy Jackson. Perfect lip-syncing.
5. Music. ARR,_/\_
6. Thank you, director saar for the happy ending and for not letting the audience to judge themselves.
Nope. Nope.
1. Zero surprise element. The Dr being the culprit was super obvious from the ‘Don’t call me uncle, call me Vasu’ dialogue.
2. Dull, non-impressive dialogues.
3. Too much hype for the beast role, and i was hugely disappointed that it was just for one particular song. Oh whhyyyyy.
4. Run time. 3 long hours, this being a thriller movie could have been crispier.
5. Five villains. Poorly written characters left no impact.
6. The hunchback was the heart of the film. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stay with the audience, which is unlikely for a Shankar’s film. The connection that I felt for Chitti when it was dismantling itself, for Sivaji when he lost his wealth, for Pughazhendhi when he lost his parent, for Prabhu when he was tortured in prison was missing in I. Even when Diya treated him badly outside the temple, it didn’t manage to capture my attention. A character overdone, perhaps?
7. Brief feature of ‘I’ virus. Could have been explained in detail.
My 30cents
For a director of Shankar’s level, I personally believe the snide remarks by Santhanam towards transgender and physically deformed villains were an utter disappointment and completely unnecessary. What made it even worse? Some, I repeat SOME ignorant and insensitive audience clapping and roaring into laughter for those scenes. Seriously people, you do know that people in real life do live with such rare skin and genetic conditions, right? Or, will you never understand till someone from your circle gets affected? Additionally, those remarks coming from a hero’s aide doesn’t make him any different from the villains.
And Vikram, i really feel bad for him. Guess, it’s high time that he starts choosing brilliantly woven scripts rather than concentrating solely on the roles/characters/transformation. A good banner brings fame, a good script brings standard.
My 35th post after 4 months break, for the ONE Malaysian song which impressed me quite sometime after Aasai (Suhamai Subbulakhsmi). Naan Unnai Kaadhalithaal, sung and composed by Neroshen Thanaseharan feat Mista Carey (SLY Squad), a single from the album HashtagONE. Lyrics are by Prabu. The single has been released way back in April, but I stumbled upon it just recently, my bad. This is a love at first listen, a definitely quality product. It is an earbug NOT because it resembles Kollywood song, but due to the uniqueness of the song, something that you don’t often get through local songs, IMHO. Additional advantage, one can actually hear to the lyrics c-l-e-a-r-l-y and sway to the music without feeling awkward. This song comfortably joins the list of Malaysian songs that I can hum and sing along to this fresh and catchy track. This Neroshan is a bundle of talent to look forward to. Not forgetting Mista Carey for his simplest yet effective rap track which compliments the song. Nothing overdone, just perfect amount of everything.
26th April 2014 will always be a legendary day for me. I grew up listening to ARR sir’s songs mainly, perks of having an elder brother, Saravanan (@ravanans) who has a huge collection of ARR sir’s cassettes and CDs right from Roja to the very latest Kochadaiiyaan (mostly Tamil albums). The first film with ARR sir’s music that I’ve watched in cinema was Kadhalan when I was 7 years old. Yeah, I missed Roja, Gentleman and Pudhiya Mugam because I was just turning 5 when those films were released and too young to even understand what does a music composer even mean. After the film, appa (who is also a huge fan of ARR sir)gifted brother with the Kadhalan audio cassette and ARR sir’s image was printed on the cassette cover. Later that day, I learnt that he was the man who created the songs of the film that I’ve watched earlier with his magic box, maybe. Slowly, listening to the song played by my brother on our (by then) Aiwa stereo system, I learnt about Roja. And that was how I was introduced to the legendary, AR Rahman sir 20 years ago. Skipping to today, I can proudly say I’m a fan of AR Rahman sir whom had finally watched him perform LIVE on the 26th April 2014 at Stadium Merdeka!
The ARR’s Infinite Love Live in KL concert was officially announced in January and based on the list of performers it was pretty obvious that it will be featuring ARR’s Rahmanishq team with few more other artistes and it will be the best of both worlds, Tamil and Hindi. Bought the ticket in February as soon as the ticketing information was released and kept calm until the slated day arrives. It drizzled slightly while we (brother, sister, me and love) were on the way to Stadium Merdeka as early as 3.30pm. We joined the long queue at about 4.10pm and waited until the gates were opened at 6.20pm. My brother was fortunate enough to attend ARR sir’s first ever live concert in 1996. Infinite Love is his second opportunity to watch ARR sir perform live, whereby this was the very first time for the other 3 of us. The concert started slightly 30 minutes later than as promised, but I was too busy being excited and snapped quite a number of amateurish photos rather than complaining.
The genius made his entry with the ever energetic Dil Se Re (Dil Se), which I have expected based on his previous Rahmanishq concerts. The crowd, 15K people went crazy the moment he appeared. Not sure if anyone did cried at the glimpse of him but I, personally screamed my heart out with joy.
After a short and swift speech addressing the fans, he performed Karma Veeran (Kochadaiiyaan) together with AR Raihanah, the crowd was thoroughly cheering for him. I decided to jot down the songs/performers and the sequence for future writing but I gave up after these two songs. A complete out of the world experience.
The following are the list of songs performed by the singers. (Credits to Silambarasu (@SilamSiva) for his blog post which I have referred to in order to get the sequence of the performance. His blog post can be viewed here. )
A medley which ‘summarizes’ ARR’s Tamil hits was performed by Mano and Vijay Prakash. It was a similar routine as done in ARR Thai Manne Vanakkam concert where Mano and Hariharan jointly performed the medley. Here however, Hariharan’s portions were covered flawlessly by Vijay Prakash. The medley covers : Veerapandi Kottaiyile (Thiruda Thiruda), Thillana Thillana (Muthu), Singanadai (Padaiyappa), Maanuthu Manthaiyile (Kizhaku Cheemaiyile) by Mano where else Anbey Anbey (Jeans), Kuchi Kuchi Rakkama (Bombay), Kannai Katti (Iruvar), Vaaji Vaaji (Sivaji) by Vijay Prakash.
The finishing touch of the medley was Ballelaka (Sivaji) by Mano, Vijay Prakash and ARR sir. Mostly covering Rajinikanth sir’s song (**whistle**), the whole stadium was roaring in excitement.
Mohit Chauhan did his first appearance with the ever charming Phir Se Udd Chala (Rockstar) and later Vijay Prakash crooned Ennavaley (Kadhalan) with utmost softness. Both the performances brought the hyper active audience into trance.
Following this Chitra ma brought the concert into a whole new level with Nenjiniley (Uyire), a song which appears regularly whenever Chitra ma performs with ARR sir. The backdrop of the stage and graphics were exceptionally too good for this particular performance.
ARR sir made his re-entry through Yeh Jo Desh Hai (Swades), one of his best patriotic songs. The song was sung majorly in Hindi and followed by Tamizh verse.
Naan Yen Piranthein, a song which was featured in Coke Studio @ MTV Season 3 Episode 1 was performed by the genius himself together with AR Raihanah. I’ve listened to this song before yet, the lyrics somehow got attached to me during the concert.
Javed Ali performed Raanjhanaa (Raanjhanaa) title track flawlessly together with the terrific dance routine.
Followed by Mano and Chitra ma’s Ottagatha Kattiko (Gentleman). Both songs had brilliant stage setup and dancers. Especially for the latter, the local lion dance were utilized and made the whole show a colorful fiesta.
Mohit Chauhan’s Jo Bhi Main (Rockstar) was a crowd-pacifier.
To boost the energy of the already excited audiences, Lady Kash made her entry with a short bit of Wanna Mash Up (Highway) and the rap portion of Pettai Rap (Kadhalan) which made most of the audience ( if not all) to join in and sing along to the ever famous-and-fun song. Lady Kash was a surprise factor of the concert.
Harshdeep Kaur ‘balle balle-ed’ the stage with Neeti Mohan by crooning Patakha Guddi (Highway) and the whole stadium transformed into the Punjabi-folk-mode.
Harshdeep continued with her masterpiece, Katiya Karun (Rockstar) together with Ranjith Barot, whom had been playing a huge role throughout the concert. Harshdeep is such a charm on the stage, with her signature turban. Loved her!
Then comes in the jamming session of ARR sir on the piano and Pandit Sri Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on the slide guitar. Together, they performed the instrumental version of Chinna Chinna Aasai (Roja) and Uyire (Bombay). Divine moment.
Adding the ice cream to the cake, Chitra ma joined the two geniuses and did an unplugged version of Narumugaiye (Iruvar). Smooth as silk.
Irumbiley (Endhiran) by ARR sir, Neeti Mohan and Lady Kash elevated the calm mood into an energy pumping portion. Two thumbs up!
I believe many would have be rooting for Vijay Prakash to performed his masterpiece, Hosanna (Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya) and yes, he DID! He sounded just like a breeze, too good.
As any ARR sir’s fan would have been aware of, his concerts will definitely covers a small portion of Sufi and Qawalli based songs. Infinite Love Live in KL was not an exception and I was immensely hoping that he would perform Khwaja Mere (Jodha Akhbar) and Kun Faaya Kun (Rockstar). He DID!! ARR sir performed both the songs together with Javed Ali and Mohit Chauhan and the whole session was impressively soothing. The entire stadium became calm and soft after a series of heart pumping performances back to back.
Just when I was about to whisper why isn’t Shwetha Pandit performing, she made her entry in an attractive silver/pink attire like a bright star! Her request to the audience to light up their hand phones received tremendous feedback while she sang a short portion of Saans (Jab Tak Hai Jaan).
She continued to mesmerize the audience with Mera Gham (Kochadaiiyaan), a heartwarming and intense song. She was amazingly good and was backed up by Javed Ali on the male portions. How I wished Chinmayi was there performing together with Shwetha Pandit in Tamizh and Hindi, back-to-back. It would have been a dream come true for me and a few of my dear friends to watch Chinmayi performing live in concert.
Malargaley (Love Birds) was performed brilliantly by Chitra ma and Vijay Prakash who left the audience in awe with Chitra ma’s enchanting voice.
After a short break, ARR sir was back on stage with Nenje Ezhu (Maryan) and the happiest face that I saw while it was being performed was love’s. He is super attached to the film and the soundtrack of Maryan all together.
This Neeti Mohan is a bundle of energy, I say. She sings, she dances, she performs… such a complete package she is. Jiya Re (Jab Tak Hai Jaan) was performed with whole lot of energy and I could hear the audience going Ooo Oh Oooooooo with her all through the song.
Javed Ali made a comeback with Tum Tak (Raanjhanaa) while Shwetha Pandit covered the female portions.
Right before Maahi Ve (Highway), ARR sir requested the audiences to call their beloved ones and to let them listen to the song. Such a lovely thought that was!
Mano Sir mesmerized the audience with his all time rocking song, Mukkala Muqabala (Kadhalan) together with Neeti Mohan. Adding to the brilliance of the song, Mano sir was in the Kilimanjaro-ish attire which made the whole performance a sheer success. While he sung in Tamizh, Neeti Mohan covered the female portion in Hindi with perfect balance. This is one of my favourite performances of the day!!
Following this, ARR sir performed Nadaan Parindey (Rockstar), a regular in his recent concerts together with Mohit Chauhan. The graphic of the stage which showcased the wings of an eagle was super apt!
Sadda Haq (Rockstar) followed right after and it brought the whole stadium down! The audience were screaming and singing along in delight. AAAAHHH! A killer performance it was.
I’ve watched Neeti performing Tamizh songs during ARR Thai Manne Vanakkam concert and was hoping that she would perform one Tamizh song and yes, she did! Athiradee (Sivaji) with ARR sir was indeed athiradee! With this song, ARR sir announced that it was the final song of the concert, AND that was when my heart sunk with the thought of going back to reality after 3 magical hours.
As always, Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire) was the grand finale of the massive concert whereby ARR sir together with all the performers sang the ultimate Jai Ho with utmost respect.
I wished the concert were much moreeeeee longer, but I was grateful whole heartedly to Him for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Thank you God. Thank you Rahman Sir.
Special note to the massive stage setup, brilliant graphics, sound system and lightning effect. Credits to Lizron Sg. It was worth every buck spent on the ticket, a KILLER I would say. The dancers complimented the singers and the stage setup amazingly!
In short, the concert was a GRAND success and I’m eternally happy that I have been a part of this legendary event. I really hope it doesn’t take AR Rahman sir another 18 years to perform in KL. Please, do come back soon, sir. Malaysia loves you and your music unconditionally!
Peek-a-Boo
I missed Humma Humma (Bombay), and Pudhu Vellai (Roja), how i wish these two songs were somehow squeezed into the medley.
I’ve been hearing quite a number of comments on how they were bored and disappointed by the Hindi songs which were performed. In my humble opinion, the list of performers which was announced has made it very…VERY clear that it will be a complete package of Tamizh and Hindi, thus, expecting only Tamizh songs during ARR’s sir world tour is pretty childish. Second, there were equal number of Tamizh and Hindi songs performed, thus, allegation that the concert were more Hindi-ish doesn’t make sense. Plus, the Hindi songs were mainly from Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Rockstar, Raanjhaana and Highway (His latest Hindi films). Third, regarding the list of songs performed. If he is expected to perform his 90’s hits mainly, then where could the latest releases are to be stuffed in? Or he would have to perform 6-7 hours concert which is close to impossible. ARR Sir pretty much covered the Tamizh songs from most of his hits eg : Kadhalan, Uyire, Love Birds, Gentleman, and few more during the medley. Thus, personally, I am wholeheartedly satisfied with the song selections and performances.
Dear organizers, it would have been flawless if barricades and string lines were setup at the entrance for the public to queue up. We were there around 4.10pm, with about 70-100 people ahead of us. As there were no crew members dealing with the queues, public started to create their very own lines (despite having only 3 entry doors), cutting the queues and forcing themselves in and made the whole scene embarrassing and uncontrollable especially for the kids and the elderly. Very sorry but you’ve got to understand that some…. i repeat, SOME people don’t really follow the rules and their common sense just flew out of the window when there’s no one to managing them.
Else, ARR’s Infinite Love Live in KL was one AWESOME concert that will be forever imprinted in my life’s diary.
List of songs performed :
Credits :
[1] Arrahman.my and Bravography for the eye-catching photographs. The complete albums of the concert can be viewed here : Arrahman.my and here : Bravography
Thegidi deals with the events that revolves around Vetri, a private detective in the shades of murder mystery. An absolutely brilliant debut by the director, P.Ramesh (winner of Kalaingar TV’ Naalayar Iyarkunar ) and another feather to Ashok Selvan’s cap.
Ashok Selvan has this curious pair of eyes which subtly makes you believe that he is indeed a detective. Initially, his expressions were slightly inapt. Yet, as the film grows, his minimal expression worked way to good for the crux of the film. From Jebin of Pizza 2 :Villa to Vetri, this is an enormous changeover!
Janani Iyer’s screen presence is refreshing as we are gladly excused from the typical “lead lady being the target-attacked-saved by the hero” sequence even though that was the exact scene that I was expecting when Madhu went back to Aparna’s place from Vetri’s. Madhu is vulnerable just as any lead actress’s character would be but she was far more realistic and played her minimal part fairly well without clichés.
Nambi, Vetri’s best friend is a proof that a friend in need is a friend indeed. His character was strong and consistent throughout the film, making you realize that THIS is the type of hero’s friend character that should exist in films. Nonsensical and comical-ish characters of hero’s friends are getting unbearably irritating these days. Kaali played the character with ease. Perfect role for Jayaprakash, a reliable and balanced cop.
Gripping background score and amazingly sweet songs by Nivas K.Prasanna (a debutant as well). He made his presence through music throughout the film flawlessly. Impressive cinematography, credits to Dinesh Krishnan (who had previously worked in Soodhu Kavvum). The run time of the film is relatively short, which makes the film crispier and likeable. Special credits to CV Kumar for producing such unique films and proofing that good film does not requires big cast or enormous publicity. Small film with big success. Thegidi deserves it all. An effective sequel is very much welcomed.
Big plus : Plot and direction, background score, Ashok Selvan. Not forgetting, the absence of typical Tamizh film scenes (Exp : a corrupted police officer, lead lady as fashion technology student, flying-cars after accident/blast, clingy girlfriend who wants to get married at the most inappropriate part of the plot). Believable fight sequence. Relatable issue being concerned.
Improvable : A complete silence at few portions in order to increase the suspense and thrilling factors. Low number of characters brought the cat of out the bag even before the culprit was revealed. The decision of Vetri to not explain the situation to Madhu was pretty much annoying but it was overlooked as Madhu was not directly harmed all through the film or else I could even hear myself screaming “what is the problem with you Vetri, you could have informed her about the problem!”.
On the other note : At a time whereby the society blames the victim for the injustice/mishaps that falls upon him/her, this film portrays that the possibilities of becoming a victim does not entirely depends on whether he/she has provoked the attacker. It could be anyone. Even you or me, without us being aware about any of this. Even more so, one might be indirectly used as a tool or a weapon to hurt/harm another person without their knowledge. Being vigilant is the key.
Wooohooo! Kochadaiiyaan has finally arrived and the album is WORTH the looooong wait. Disclaimer : The review below is entirely written as a Thalaivar’s fan and of course, namma AR Rahman sir’s fan. Couldn’t resist 🙂
SP Bala and the introduction song of Super Star can never, I repeat NEVER go wrong. This song definitely falls into the row of Puthiya Manidha (Endhiran), Ballelaka (Sivaji), En Peru (Padayappa) and Oruvan (Muthu) with an extravagant touch. Even though the song was released way back last year for promotional purpose, it achieved its completion with the release of the full album. The high soaring composition pumps up the energy and gets you into the warrior-mood. This song visualized with the majestic-stylish walk of Rajini sir, it would be terrific! IMHO, this is the best introduction song with the ARR-SPB-Rajini sir combo, after Oruvan (Muthu). Will this be the opening song of ARR’s Infinite Love Concert next month in KL? *fingers crossed*
Ungalin vazhthukalaal uyir konde ezhunthuvittein
Vazhtiya manangalukku en vazhkaiyai valangivittein!
The beginning heavily reminds me of Maahi Ve (Highway), beautiful. And it gets magical with Sadhana Sargam’s soft vocal and SP Bala’s ever-youthful voice. I am still in awe on how SP Bala sounds very young, even at this age. This song satisfies the long wait of AR Rahman’s fans that have been longing for his 90’s –type of song. You get all the Roja- Puthiya Mugam-Gentleman –ish with this Medhuvagathan. Most probably being visualized for Princess Vadhana (Deepika Padukone) and Rana (Rajini Sir), this is going to be the soft-classical-romantic number with some grand visual treat – the royal warrior version of Vaaji Vaaji (Sivaji). The track starts off medhuvaga, but ironically it captures you immediately, on the spot!
What is a Thalaivar’s movie without punch dialogue? And here, to add in the uuumpph-factor of Kochadaiiyaan, we have a complete song with meaningful lines written by Vairamuthu. What’s more? All those lines being rendered by Rajini-sir himself! Haricharan accompanies the lines aptly, and gave the right amount of intermission between the lines crooned by Rajini sir. Of course, just as told by Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin (the director), if Rajini sir says- the youths will definitely listen. A special credit to V.Uma Shankar for the jathi which features towards the end of the track to increase the magic of the song. And not forgetting the powerful chorus which accompanies Haricharan’s portion throughout the track. There’s a slight touch of Nenjae Ezhu (Maryan) every here and there, and I’m glad this song was not crooned by AR Rahman.
As the title of the song indicates, it is song of promises made by the bride to her husband to be. Madam Latha Rajinikanth is the surprise factor here; her cute rendition gave life to the simple and sweet lines by Vairamuthu. With the shades of Kollaiyile Thennai (Kadhalan), the song would definitely be a perfect lullaby but of course minus those lyrics which are intended for husband-wife relationship. Another plus of this soft lullaby-ish vow is the use of nadhaswaram at the interludes, lovely as it sounds and definitely sets in the mood.
Azhagu pengal pazhaginaalum, aiyyam kollein. Reaaaally? OK :p
Haunting. Intense. You will LOVE the feel this song leaves you with. The song deals with the bitterness and sorrow of the lady upon realizing her love being imprisoned. The usage of Sangam Tamizh in the songs is apt for the period film, and of course I was not aware of few words as such until I stumble upon the lyrics of the song together with the English translation which were released by Vairamuthu sir official through his twitter account on 20th December 2012. Every time Chinmayi teases the nazhuvi nazhuvi nagarnthu nagarnthu nagarnthu poguthe line, I get goose bumps. She made the unique composition and the melancholy beat into a magical one. Srinivas adds in layers into the track and made it even more captivating. A perfect comeback for Srinivas in AR Rahman’s composition (i think after Minsara Kanna of Padayappa, right) ! Definitely, this is one of AR Rahman’s best melodies in the recent times.
Seems to me like the theme song for the Kochadaiiyaan mannan, in the battlefield or during the fight sequences. Powerful and keeps you in trance. The various percussions and instruments used made the track one of its kind, a tantalizing one. Additionally, it gives a clearer view that Kochadaiiyaan is a king whom worshipped Lord Shivan. Is the female vocalist is anyhow Malavika Sundar? She sounds very familiar.
We had female version sung by Madam Latha Rajinikanth, and this is the male version, very beautifully crooned by Haricharan. Lovely lines, which I believe makes any girl smile from ear to ear. Why? We don’t always get to hear such humble lines as vows from the man especially lines which doesn’t refer to physical beauty entirely. It is just a matter of time until both versions by Haricharan and Madam Latha Rajinikanth are combined and used in the wedding photo montage and videos. With such adorably sweet lines being exchanged as wedding vows, who wouldn’t love it?
[8] Rana’s Dream (Performed by London Session Orchestra)
This is the instrumental piece of Engae Pogudhu Vaanam, impressively performed by the London Session Orchestra. A dreamy and softer version in the name of Rana’s Dream. Breezy.
And here comes the grand finale of the album, a track by AR Rahman and AR Raihanah. The song deals with the life of a warrior whom dedicates his life to his beloved country and personally, I felt it is applicable for any individuals whom are striving hard to achieve success despite unavoidable commitments in life. Meaningful lyrics, delivered with magnificent orchestration made the track entirely awe-inspiring. On a second thought, most of the lines in the song suits both Rajini-sir and AR Rahman for instance; vetrigalaley veri kollathey… / maalaigal kandu mayangathey…A perfect blend of music, lyrics and vocals. Soaring high!
My pick : ALL!!! (I told you, I’m a fan of both Thalaivars. Too hard to make choice. )
Every single artiste and crew associated with Kochadaiiyaan has successfully immortalized their work through this one film. Thank you, Soundarya for the MAGIC!
Listen to the songs legally here (Complete with lyrics and English translation) :
The song starts off brilliantly and Satya Prakash’s rendition brought it to a whole new level all together. This is definitely another feather to his hat, after Avarangathukulla (Annakodi). Both the music and the voice blend so well, that gets you humming to the song after the first two plays. A melody with modernized-classical touch which brings in different shades of colors through the various instruments which are arranged brilliantly by Nivas. [Listen]
A tailor-made song for Andrea Jeremiah. Both the music and the vocal sets in the mystical and haunting mood for the film which is said to be a mystery-murder- thriller. This ttrack is enough to give you goose bumps every now and then, due to the eerie-ish high-pitched voice of Andrea. The song could have been slightly shorter to make it crispier. However, I couldn’t help but noticing the influence of Adele’s Skyfall throughout the track. Ashok Selvan is the Bond, perhaps? [Listen]
Being the only duet of this album, Nivas has given the mandatory romantic feel to the track with the sizzling usage of piano and strings. Abhay’s rendition is both bold and beautiful that it dominates the whole track, IMHO. Saindhavi sound more matured in this track, which gave the track a sophisticated feel that I believe suits the genre of the film very aptly. IMHO, a cute-sweet-ish duet might have ruin the overall mood set by the film. [Listen]
The track begins with the flute sound which mildly indicates the genre of the song. Breezy, and Ajeesh pour in the sufficient emotions into the track. Idhu Varai (Goa), Idhazhin Oram (3), Kadhal Kandeney (The Connect) and now with this gem, I really hope Ajeesh sings more. This song was too good to be too short. [Listen]
This is dynamite. Shankar Mahadevan’s cultured voice sets in the dark and mysterious mood for the track. Just as you begun to feel at ease, you get blasted with the AWESOME performance of Rajesh Vaidya on the veenai. The portion becomes the highlight of the song and as the song progress; the veenai accompanies the vocal and becomes more intense. 7.21 minutes of soulfully haunting and motivating composition. Note: Nivas K Prasanna is a former disciple of Rajesh Vaidya. [Listen]
The backing band had made an impressive work for each and every song of the album. You get indulged in the variety of instruments and tunes which are brilliantly arranged while able to clearly apprehend the lyrics. Additionally, each song begins with a unique tune. As I listened to the song repeatedly I begun to imagine colors for each songs : Yaar Ezhudhiyadho is flat white, Vinmeen Vithaiyil is cotton candy, Kangalai Oru is storm blue, Needhane Needhane is black and brown, whereas, Neeyum Dhinam is red and black. It is notable that all the songs are completely written without the usage of English words. Simple play of words which made the lyrics effective, credits to Kabilan Vairamuthu and Kurinchi Prabha. As Eeram is to S Thaman, as Vaagai Sooda Vaa to M Ghibran, Thegidi is Nivas’s fort. A promising debut by Nivas K Prasanna, and he is definitely here to stay.
Lyrics by : Na Muthukumar, Thamarai, Viveka and Yugabharathi.
[1] Vodu Vodu Vodu Vodu (Vocals: Devi Sri Prasad, Chinnaponnu )
Assures you that this is indeed DSP’s album. If it was Magizhini Manimaaran for Jingucika (Veeram), here we have Chinnaponnu to give some folk-ness to the song.
Vazhkai cinema tan da, athil hero endrum neeye tan da!
The hero’s introduction song, perhaps? Listenable, but with low volume, please.
[2] Unn Kannai / Penne Nee Illamal (Vocals: Karthik, M M Manasi )
Karthik and soft-romantic song can never go wrong. Excellent as always, Karthik’s voice is freshly paired with MM Manasi’s (Stylish Tamizhachi fame) sweetly modulated voice which made the track even more pleasant. Lovable tune and I believe that the song will be bigger with the visual (which is most probably shot in Swiss/Venice as per the news).
A folksy romantic melody. Sooraj Santhosh (Othakadai, Yealey Maruthu fame) has a gentle and lively voice which keeps you entertained throughout the song, infused with the foot tapping beat. I really wish he sings more Tamizh songs. At random play, it sounds like a mash-up of songs from Kutty. The song seems to be slightly lengthy; else this is a completely enjoyable song.
[4] En Uyirin Uyiraga (Vocals: Anitha, Devi Sri Prasad )
The moment the song starts, I begin to hum the tune of Feel My Love (Kutty). Too similar due to the beat and the vocals (Sagar and DSP). Somehow, DSP sounds slightly different than his usual high-pitched, voice-breaking style. Anitha seems to fit in the romance number perfectly. She adds the softness to the bold DSP’s vocal. Lovely one thou. As of now, I kept imagining this song with the visuals of Ival Dhana (Veeram).
[5] Vaada Vaada Nanba (Vocals: Andrea Jeremiah, MLR Karthikeyan )
Sounds like a kutthu song due to the romance between Kattu Kattu (Thirupachi) and Yenna Solla Pore (Venghai). I guess even the directors are tired of presenting male-version-kuttu songs and decided to opt for the female version instead. Here we have a song with some deep advice on friendship/love/life, croon by the ever energetic Andrea Jeremiah; the biggest plus of the song. I loved how DSP decided to opt for Andrea for a complete kuthu beat song. Addictive beat. With due respect to the short and sweet rendition of MLR Karthikeyan,the track would have been a fresh start if the male’s rendition was limited to the middle and end of the song rather than including it in the beginning itself and making it sound very very familiar even at the first listen.
One little thing that kept me wondering was, how would some of the voices used in the song would suit Sasikumar, whom we had always seen in village-themed movies, speaking the local dialect. But, of course his avatar as the city guy is pretty good based on the teaser and trailer. And the beautiful Lavanya Tripathi (Andala Rakshasi fame) marks her debut in Tamizh in Brahman. After some back to back release of DSP’s hyper-folksy-loud albums, it is really good to listen to an album which is well balanced and most importantly, less loud from him. As much as I love soft romantic melodies, I tend to get tired of the similar honey-dipped voices roping the mandatory melodies of each movie, one after another. A variation would definitely be awesome and DSP had made the right choice of vocals in this one album, IMHO. (And somehow, when I saw the tracklist of the audio and the vocals, I felt a sting of Ghibran-ness and D.Imman-ness. Can’t help it! ). A mash-up of Venghai, Kutty and Veeram. A well-balanced album, DSP is back on track.
p/s : Can someone please give a soft-romantic duet number for Sooraj Santhosh? He would sound magical, I believe.
Colours and Puzzles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.