Paruthi Veeran (Tamil)

Aaahhhh.... finally.... a mainstream Tamil film where the hero is not some Robin Hood'esque tamer of the shrew; where the leading lady has balls of steel; where there is no presumptuous self-bestowed responsibility on the film maker's part to impart any "social message"; where the gratuitous violence is not apologized for in classic middle class style hypocrisy.

Set deep in rural south India, deep within the Tamil heartland, "Paruthi Veeran" is not your feel-good flick replete with lush river banks and swaying paddy stalks - step aside, Bharathiraja - Ameer is here, and is giving it like it is. Awesome direction combined with incredible cinematography delivers such stark realism that it leaves you as dehydrated as the parched lake beds and the dry grass that is a constant refrain of the movie's landscape.

Debutant actor Karthik Sivakumar delivers with such aplomb, one wonders if he is going to upstage his talented older sibling Surya. Playing the title role of a local rowdy who gets off on seemingly random acts of violence, Karthik comes across as a natural (born killer?). Not to be outdone so easily, Priyamani (a Bharathiraja discovery), playing the feisty village belle "Muthazhagu", does her bit with a fair amount of flair as well. Major kudos are due Ameer for retaining the edginess, both in their characters as well as in the general feel throughout the film.

The background score, while not exactly Raja material, is still in the "thoroughly enjoyable" category with pretty much all the songs blending almost effortlessly into the script, being as folksy as they are. Yuvan Shankar Raja could yet carry his dad's mantle.

By all means, get on it and rent this movie and watch, but if you're the queasy sort, might I recommend that you switch off before the climax and read up on how the story ends or ask your friendly neighborhood Tam moviegoer. Like I said, Ameer's kid gloves are most decidedly not on.

The details:

Direction: Ameer Sultan
Starring: Karthik Sivakumar, Priyamani
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Mozhi (Tamil)

A breath of fresh air. Mozhi came in quite highly recommended from a number of quarters, and while it didn't quite stand up to all the expectations set, it must be said that it didn't fail to bring a smile as one was watching it. The humour in the movie is nice and subtle, though not delivered with the best of comedic timing. The general lack of histrionics was very welcome, and treatment of the story as well as the experimentation with the frame compositions deserve some sincere applause.

But it's not as if the movie is without its faults. There are quite a few.

Jyotika - arguably, Mozhi's biggest fault. It appears that the director forgot to tell her she was simply deaf and dumb - not spastic. That scene where Karthik (character portrayed by Prithwiraj) is all over her, venting his anger, and she looking into the camera at some weird angle with her huge saucer eyes wide open - what the f*@# was that all about? I can understand how Prakash Raj would have wanted to cast somebody who had expressive eyes, considering that the rest of this protagonist's faculties are lacking, but it's high time somebody told this world that Jyotika's eyes are just big, not expressive. My choice for this role - Shalini, without a doubt (I can still remember her in Alai Paayuthey, where I feel she did a great role in spite of Mani Ratnam).

There were a couple of other places the treatment could have been a bit more sensitive. While the outpuring scene is somewhat relevant to the character, I did feel that the director lost the connection with the character at that point. And what's the deal with him saying "idhukkappuramum nee kalyaanathukku varaley...." leaving an ominous "or else..." dangling? Or else, what? That scene was some fairly mediocre directing.

While I am very clearly not a "social message" seeker in cinema, I also do feel that it's an art form for expression, and in that vein, I really think Mozhi missed a trick or two. Here it is, a seemingly adult movie where the protagonist is big into social service and orphan care and all that - why is the whole child thing such a big deal? If Archana (Jyotika's character) is concerned that her kids might be mute as well, the boyfriend could have suggested they don't have a baby, but adopt one instead. Pity that our cinema doesn't push certain touchy boundaries :(

And that one liner suggestion from Karthik to Viji (Prakash Raj's character) when he (Viji) mentions that he is going to get married to Sheela (Swarnamalya's character), the widow - "unakku romba periya manasu daa" - huh??? WTF?????

As far as performances are concerned, Mozhi is carried by the supporting cast through and through. Swarnamalya as Sheela delivers a very acceptable performance, and M.S.Bhaskar as the developmentally stunted professor just kicks a**! Brahmanandam as the society secretary chips in with some well timed comedy contribution as well.

Going by what noted film maker Howard Hawks once said - a good movie has three good scenes and no bad scenes - Mozhi certainly has three strikes in my view in terms of number of bad scenes, but it is still a movie I would buy and own and would recommend. While it's not exactly parallel cinema, it is still relatively on the fringe and hats off to Prakash Raj for taking the plunge.

Go watch it!

The details:
Language: Tamil
Actors: Prithwiraj Sukumaran, Jyothika, Prakash Raj, Swarnamalya, Brahmanandam
Director: Radha Mohan
Producer: Prakash Raj
Story: Radha Mohan
Screenplay: Radha Mohan
Dialogs: Viji
Music: Vidyasagar
Lyrics: Vairamuthu