Kaththi - Movie Review - AR Muugadoss, Vijay, Samantha

Kaththi aka Kathiressan is a petty thief, who is currently in Kolkatta State Prison. Meanwhile Jeevanandam a Kaththi look alike is spear heading the moment for farmers against corporate land grabers back home. How the paths of these two diametrically opposite characters cross forms the rest of the story.

The basic story line may not be innovative but the way an important message has been conveyed through the film both entertainingly and effectivevly is where the success of Kaththi lies in.

AR Murugadoss first of all deserves all the credits in the world for 1
1) The poerful, impactful, emotional dialogues in the film
2) Conveying the message entertainingly without being preachhy, eventhough few might feel lag/drag here and there as the movie runs close to 3 hours and is not your regular mass masala movie
3) The way the movie has been written, packaged and presented
4) and most importantly for keeping the identity of Jeevandam till the very end and not going opting gallery pleasing techniques

Now the importance of 4th point becomes more clear once you watch the movie. The Kathiresan Avatar we have seen many times, but as Jeevanandam you will get to see a never seen before Vijay. He was too good in emotional scenes, something which was not his forte, a complete down to earth character, with 0% mass/commercial elements, perhaps played for the first time by Vijay, and he comes out with flying colors [The film is a must watch for all the admirers of the actor, just for this character].

As Kathireesan Vijjay is in his comfort zone and delivers the character with typical Ilayathalapathy mannerisms and naughtiness and mass. The actors who played the old villagers were good too. Sathish as the side kick was good. Samantha really has nothing much to do, and the film didn't require a heroine in the 1st place. But thankfully the scenes between Vijay-Sam is noway irritating/boring like the scenes with Kajal in Thuppakki. Neil was okay as the villain, tried to repeat Vidyut success, but nowhere near.

Anirudh scored heavily with the background sscore, another highpoint of the movie. With the movie the songs sounds/looks good too. Cinematography was good, high points being the Coins fight scene and tunnel scene.

The film has adequate aaction and that too not over the top. There are no unnecessary punchlines either, but even the BG score or a visual with no music cant sent the theater go bezerk, thanks to ARM's intelligent craftmanship.

The highlights of the movie are
1. Press Meet
2. Coin fight scene
3. Tunnel Scene
4. Last scene with 'Yar petha mavano' in the background

In all Kaththi offfers perfect blend of mass and class which sends a very good message and is not your typical Vijay mass masala. If you have the time to invest and love Vijay the actor more than the superstar Kaththi is a must watch.

Rating: 3.75/5



Thank you for reading & if i have typed Jagadeeshan instead of Jeevandam anywhere, requesting you to read it correctly.

Gionee Vijay TV Film Awards 2014 - Complete Winners List

Best Costume Cesigner : Poornima Ramaswamy (Paradesi)
Best Stunt Director: Anal Arasu (Pandiyanaadu)
Makeup: Dasarathan (Paradesi)
Art Director: Ilayaraja (Vishwaroopam)
Editor: Antony (Pandiyanaadu)
Cinematographer: Rajiv menon (Kadal)
Lyricist: Na. Muthukumar - Dheivangal Ellaam (Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga)
Background score: Santhosh Narayanan (Soodhukavvum)
Debut Actress: Nazriya (Raja Rani)
Debut Actor: Gautam karthick (Kadal)
Song of the year: Ethirneechal
Choreographer: Brindha - Adiyae (Kadal)
Supporting Actress: Dhansikaa (Paradesi)
Villain: Arjun (Kadal)

Contribution to Tamil cinema: Balu Mahendra

Playback Singer (Female): Shakthisree Gopalan - Nenjukullae (Kadal)
Playback Singer (Male): YUVAN SHANKAR RAJA - Komban Sura (Mariyaan)

Comedian: Santhanam (Theeya Velai Seiyyanum Kumaru)
Screenplay: Nalan kumaraswamy (Soodhukavvum)
DialogueS : Naveen (Moodar Koodam)
Debut Director: Atlee (Raja Rani)
Director: Bala (Paradesi)
Special Jury Award: Vijay Sethupathy & Soodhukavvum
BEST FILM: Thangameengal
Sivaji Ganesan Award: Director shankar
Best Actor: Kamal Haasan (Vishwaroopam)
Favourite Hero: Vijay(Thalaivaa)
Entertainer of Indian Cinema: Shahrukh khan
Entertainer of the year: Siva Karthikeyan
Best Actress & Favourite Heroine : Nayanthara (Raja Rani)
Favourite film: Aarambam
Best Crew: Ethirneechal
Best Music Director: A R Rahman (Kadal, Mariyaan)
FAVORITE SONG: OODHA COLOR RIBBON (Varuthapedatha Valibar Sangham)

Vijay's 'Kaththi' - First Look Poster Leaked Online - Exclusive

April 1  ;-)

Have a great Day !!!

Holiday [Thuppakki Remake] - First Look Poster - Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha

 Holiday [Thuppakki Remake] - First Look Poster

 AR Murugadoss, Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Pritam

 Trailer Release - Feb 12, 2:30pm

Movie Release - June 6th, 2014

Click Images to view in full size

Digital Motion Poster

Kerala Box Office : Top 5 Movies in Dec - Jan

Kerala Box Office : Top 5 Movies in Dec - Jan

Here's the Box Office update of films that did well during the months of December (2013) & January (2014) @ Kerala Box Office

1. Drishyam

Enough has been said about the film already. With about 30 crores gross, from Kerala, in 46 days the film is the biggest Malayalam hit ever. It also becomes the first Malayalam film to earn more than 40 crore [including all kinds of revenues]

 All Time Blockbuster - Industry Hit

2. Oru Indian Pranayakadha

The only Malayalam film to survive the 'Drishyam onslaught'. The film has a mega hit run @ most of its centers. Sathyan Anthikkadu factor, Perfomances of Fahad-Amala and Drishyam returns helped the film to reach success levels. 

Super Hit

3. Jilla

The film took the biggest ever opening in Kerala, but then fell due to average WOM. Life time gross expected to be around 9 crores.

Above Average - Safe for distributor [If Distribution rights were 'sold' for 3.5cr, Super Hit if its instead of Mohanlal's revenue]

4. Dhoom 3 

According to reports Dhoom 3 is the biggest Bollywood grosser in the state. The film continued at almost all centers in 2nd week and made come backs at few centers 2 weeks later.

All Time Blockbuster

5. Veeram

Even though film got good reports it didn't translate into collection.

Average - Loss for distributor

Fate of Other Notable Releases

Silence - Flop

Salala Mobiles - Disaster

Ezhu Sundara Rathrikal - Disaster considering theatrical revenues, but the producers covered all expenses from non-theatrical avenues even before the release

1983 - Released on Jan 31, took average opening but reports are extremely positive

Jilla vs Veeram - Kerala Box Office Update

Jilla vs Veeram - Kerala Box Office Update

Veeram

 Sree Kaleeshwary initially signed for Veeram Kerala distribution rights @ 1.30 crore. But once Jillla was confirmed on the very same date, after much negotiations the rate came down to 78-80 lakhs. Including Print & Publicity of about 15 lakhs the total investment by the distributor is about 95 lakhs. Even though the film had better WOM the release time was bad [as per Kerala business was concerned], it got squeezed between Jilla and Drishyam and couldn't really get going. The film will be a losing venture for Sree Kaleeshwary with final distributor share coming in the range of 75 lakhs, costing them about 20 lakhs. After the release the 'in-ground' promotion was lukewarm from the distributor side too. The Kerala theatrical run is about to be terminated with film still playing only in a handful of theaters.

Jilla

Two of the biggest Crowwd pullers in the state uniting for the first time helped the film to take the biggest ever first day and opening weekend in the history of Kerala Box Office. But the WOM was mixed, plus the Drishyam phenomenon affected the films longer prospects too. The film when reports last came in had grossed between 8.5-9cr with distributor share of about 3.5 crore plus. 

The confusing fact about Jilla is regarding the distribution rights, the figures quoted is 3.5 crore [extra 15 lakhs for print & publicity], but there is no clarity regarding whether its a separate deal or instead (or a part) of Mohanlal's acting fees [Since its distributed Mohanlal's own Max Lab/Aashirvad]. If the former case is true, Jillla will also cost the distributor a few lakhs in the final tally. The film will be Vijay's 2nd biggest grosser in the state, falling well short of Thupppakki.The film is running in more theaters compared to Veeram, But will also terminate within a week or two.

So while 'Gross' wise Jilla is miles ahead of Veeram, but based on 'Returns on Investment' there's nothing much to separate both films.

Forbes India Top 100 Celebrities of 2013 - Full & Final List

96 Ram Kapoor
97 Ronit Roy
98 Terence Lewsi
00 Sakshi Tanwar
100 Cyrus Broacha

Veeram - Kerala Distribution Latest Updates

Sree Kaleeshwary who bought Kerala distribution rights for 'Veeram' has been in great dilemma for the past few months, reason their 'Veeram' clashing a film which is most probably going to get the biggest release Kerala has ever seen, Jilla.

 They bought the rights thinking that Jilla will be postponed to April. But after Jan 10 has been fixed as the release date for Jilla they are caught in a soup, because they also have Trivandrum area rights for Jilla. Now clashing with a film featuring 2 of the most popular stars of the state is a very bad idea for any other movie. So SK is now trying to resell Veeram as backing out was not an option for them. They have been looking for & making talks with interested buyers, but the price quoted by them will cost SK badly. Finally after much talks they have got better offers for Ernakulam & Malabar area  which they might end up selling soon . But they might hang on to Trivandrum area where they will have to distribute it along with Jilla.

If there are no other releases on same date and the X-mas releases hit Holdover Veeram could get 60-70+ theaters, and if there is 2+ days gap with Jilla the numbers could cross 100 as well, provided Verram hits the screen first.

Thalaivaa Worldwide Box Office Report

Ilayathalapathy's Thalaivaa Released on August 9th, 2013 Worldwide, except Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry. The film opened to thundering response wherever it was released, and held on well despite mixed Reviews.

Here are the collection details of the movie from what ever circuits available

In Kerala 'Thalaivaa' was audiences first choice despite releasing alongside 5 high profile releases (4 of them Malayalalm). The film which released in 120 screens came on top in the EID weekend beating all other releases by a handsome margin. The 4 days gross is estimated to be around 3.5-4 crores.

In Karnataka the film released in 60+ screens grossing about 3-3.5 crores in 3 days

In US the film released in about 50 screens and grossed 1.40 crores in opening weekend

In UK the film grossed about 1.19 crores from 36 screens

The Telugu version 'Anna' got a distributors share of about 2.4 crores in 3days from Andhra, which is the biggest for a Vijay film.

Details from other locations are awaited ....stay tuned to this page for updates


[Errors? Mistakes? Please Comment below]

Vijay's Jilla vs Ajith's Veeram for Pongal 2014 - Is it a Good Idea ?

 The title of Ajith's 54th film has been officially confirmed via Press Release as 'Veeram'. It has also been mentioned that the film will be hitting the screens during Pongal 2014, the date which has already been fixed for Vijay's next 'Jilla', which also features Super Star Mohanlal in a prominent role.

'Pongal' is a big festival which can very much accommodate two biggies in Tamil Nadu they say, but still when two super stars of equal status collide it surely will eat into each others collection, a big no no in the current scenario.

It is believed that the release date of 'Veeram' will be pushed to January 24th, Republic Day weekend. Jilla is far ahead in terms of filming and promotion as nothing much is known about 'Veeram'. So by pitching its release date with Jilla will create enough buzz among people. This is what belevied to be the strategy of the PR for 'Veeram'. they will most probably let go this until 1 month or 2 to Pongal and postpone the release date (or may be even pre pone).

Also the clashing of biggies is gonna affect 'Veeram' more than Jilla - How? let's look

In TN both film will be received equally, eventhough fans claim theirs will be the bigger one. But it all depends upon the power of the makers & distributors. Those who get better screens and more show times will be the winner in such a closely contested scenario. But Now Tamil films are not just confined to TN alone. The 3  important markets where the simultaneous release could affect are Kerala, Andhra & Karnataka.

In Kerala 'Veeram' might not even get proper screens to release simultaneously as Jilla stars two of the most popular stars in the state & Ajith's fan following is no where near to that of Vijay, who is the uncrowned prince among other language stars. In Andhra 'Jilla' won't be making much of an impact as Vijay has meager fan base there. But Ajith who has a much better fan base in AP will have to clash with one of Telugu cinema's current biggest super star Mahesh Babu's '1'. In Karnataka too the films will have to fight for the limited screens available for other language movies. In all other circuits it again depends upon who the 'early bird' i, to catch more screens.

So with all these 'Theories' in mind we are hoping that 'Veeram', being the later one to announce the release date, will be pushed ahead.


Jilla is directed by Nesan & Stars Vijay, Mohanlal, Kajal Aggarwal, Poornima Bhagyaraj etc

Veeram is directed by 'Siruthai' Siva & Stars Ajith, Thamanna, Vidarth etc

Thalaivaa - Exclusive Movie Review

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Thalaivaa : Exclusive Movie Review
                                        

Direction by A. L. Vijay

Produced by Chandra Prakash Jain/C.P. Sunil/C.P. Dinesh

Music by G. V. Prakash Kumar

Stars: Vijay, Sathyaraj, Amala Paul, Santhanam, Ragini Nandwani, Abhimanyu Singh & Rajiv Pillai

Movie Review by Sree Prasad Nair
Theater – Grand Cinemas, Sharjah, UAE
08/08/2013 – 4.45pm
Occupancy – 100%  Sold Out

A Vijay film is always special. Be it Velayudham or Thuppakki, Vijay films always worked big at the box office. Thalaivaa is the first Vijay film in 2013! Just like Velayudham & Thuppakki (released during Diwali 2011 & 2012) Thalaivaa is also releasing on a festive season, Eid 2013! Thalaivaa is directed by A.L Vijay who had remarkable hits under his belt in the form of Deiva Thirumagal & Madrasapattinam. However his last film Thandavam was a washout at the box office. Thalaivaa stars Vijay and Amala Paul in the lead roles. Sathyaraj, Santhanam, Ragini Nandwani, Abhimanyu Singh & Rajiv Pillai are also acting in Thalaivaa.

Story

Thalaivaa, is the story of comman man who rises to a leader. Vijay is a professional dancer in Australia. He is in love with Amala Paul. Both plan to get married. Vijay comes to India to meet his father (Sathyaraj) with Amala Paul & her father. Sathyaraj is Thalaivaa, leader of social workers in Mumbai. The local enemies murder Sathyaraj. To take the revenge Vijay turns into a leader. What happens next?

Positives

A. L. Vijay's story may sound predictable, but film is filled with many twists and turns. Two great suspense, one just before the interval and one just at the right time, climax! Direction is first rate. The run time of the film is almost 3hours. But you will never get bored in those long duration. First half is fast paced with romance, dance, funny scenes and second half is just brilliant, infact better than first half.

Vijay’s character in the film goes through two phases, one as typical lover & other as leader. He is good as lover with his usual charm, dance & romance. But he is brilliant as leader. Unlike his previous films Thalaivaa don't have much action scenes. Less action & more acting... That's Vijay's Thalaivaa. A performance like this comes once in a while and can compete with the best actors this year. The ease with which Vijay slips into the character is amazing and the outcome is spellbinding. If he is lovable as the lover boy dancer, he is outstanding as the leader.

It's Amala Paul who gives Thalaivaa that extra sheen. She gets a role to prove her talent and she more than lives up to the expectations. She is super confident and registered a strong impact. Her dancing skills and expressions are her added benefits. However her role is limited in the second half.

 Santhanam once again proved that he is unbeatable when it comes to comedy. He contributes enormously to some of the best moments of the film. Satyaraj is truly outstanding in a pivotal character. Ragini Nandwani is goregeous and makes her presence felt in a small but significant role. Abhimanyu Singh is ok. Rajiv Pillai may not have many lines to deliver, but his presence and expressions register a strong impact.

Negatives

Music of Thalaivaa is a letdown. And the placement of two songs are wrong. Veteran actor Nassar is wasted. Not much action scenes in this Vijay film except the climax. That’s about it. These factors won’t harm to a film like Thalaivaa.

Overall Thalaivaa is a perfect Eid gift from VIJAY'S! Director Vijay & Actor Vijay. A Good First Half, Great Second Half With A Brilliant Climax! The film is all set to take a bumper opening at the box office.

P:S: Third Festival Superhit From Vijay In A Row

Verdict - Thalaivaa Is A Great Leader!!!

Rating - 4/5!  Super Hit!!!

This Reviewer can be contacted on Twitter : @i_spn : https://twitter.com/i_spn

Thalaivaa - Censor Report

Censored 'U' - run time 3 hours 2 minutes. releasing on August 9th world wide. Telugu dub titled Anna
Eligible for tax exemption in Tamil Nadu

Thalaivaa - Exclusive Malayalam Posters

Thalaivaa - Exclusive Malayalam Posters

(Click to view in original size)

Poster Credits:

https://www.facebook.com/lalmagixdsignz

Thalaivaa Story Synopsis - Naduvazhikal remake ???

 

Thalaivaa Story Synopsis - Naduvazhikal remake ???

The trailer of much awaited 'Thalaivaa' was released online few days back and as expected it broke many records in YouTube. According to the makers it tells the story of a common guy becoming a leader of/for masses. [The following might be movie plot spoilers, so be careful before you proceed].


The detailed story/synopsis of the movie is kept under wraps. There has been news spreading in social medias that the film is a remake of 1989 Mohanlal Super Hit 'Naaduvazhikal'. All of A.L Vijay's previous films were either remakes or drew inspirations from other language movies. So there is a chance for this being an inspired work or official remake.

Naduvazhikal tells the story of a common man who is forced to leave his leisurely life & comeback to native place to fight for his father and the people that believed in him. From information available from various sources Thalaivaa also follows similar path.

Vijay's character who is [supposedly] a dance teacher in Australia forced to comeback to India when something happens to his father, played by Sathyaraj, who is like a leader to many. Vijay meets his enemy's here, they have many confrontations. In one of the leaked stills we can see Sathyaraj's garland ridden photo on the wall, which might indicate his character getting killed by enemies and Vijay taking his revenge on those who are responsible - just like Naaduvazhikal climax.

Even if these predictions/guess work proves to be true  lets hope  AL Vijay  can bring something new to the table

Naaduvazhikal itself is inspired from the cult classic Hollywood Mafia movie 'The Godfather' which has inspired many movies like Sarkar (2005), Rajneeti (2010) & Simhaasanam (2012)

Thalaivaa - My Movie Trailer Review

Directed by     A. L. Vijay
Produced by     Chandra Prakash Jain, C.P. Sunil, C.P. Dinesh
Written by     A. L. Vijay

Starring

    Vijay
    Sathyaraj
    Amala Paul
    Rajiv Pillai
    Abhimanyu Singh
    N. Santhanam

Music by     G. V. Prakash Kumar
Cinematography     Nirav Shah
Editing by     Anthony
Studio     Sri Mishri Productions
Distributed by     Vendhar Movies
Country     India
Language     Tamil

Thalaivaa Movie Trailer Review 

 Finally the much awaited Thalaivaa teaser has arrived, and like all Vijay films have been received with great applause and appreciations by netizens. 

 The trailer looks slick, rich and stylish. Who ever cut the trailer has done a great job. Eventhough 2.45mins long it feels short, may be due to the excitement. 

The trailer very much gives A-Z about the movie which I found a bit strange and unnecessary, especially since its not a typical mass masala, instead a story oriented film.

Vijay is looking young & Handsome in the new look. The trailer gives a tease into dance steps by Vijay,  a thing which is associated with every movie of his. 

One thing that strikes the most in the trailer is the camera work of  Nirav Shah, who has worked in films like Dhoom 1,2, Billa 1 etc. He shows us a different side of Mumbai [than waht Santosh Sivan showed us in Thuppakki]. Each frame is looking rich. Shot in Red Epic hope it provides epic Visuals

A.L. Vijay has tried to make a stylish film i think. The trailer gives a feel like that. 

The Back ground score is another plus for the trailer, eventhough felt like inspired from Hans Zimmer's Man of Steel theme in the beginning portions. The music has been good, so expecting a good job in the background score as well. [Read Music Review Here: http://breakingmovies.blogspot.in/2013/06/ThalaivaaMusicReview.html]. Coming in Dolby Atmos hope it will be treat for Movie Goers

Even though the posters and logo suggested a political drama from the trailer its clear that its not.
A Common man becoming a leader of masses has been dealt with umpteen times in Indian movies like Nayakan, Sivaji etc. So the fate of the movie Its entirely upto A L Vijay and his script. How can he make an engaging and interesting film is the important question. 

Verdict: Looking Good

Rating 3.5/5

 Trailer Screenshots

Watch Trailer Here: