s-15144-48886

Ponniyin Selvan is here and I must say I loved every bit of it. As a guy who read all the 5 parts of the novel, I pretty much loved the film and how it was made. First I will say which aspects didn't work out with me then only I could praise the film. First of all, the action sequences were executed and edited in a bad way. Although not an action oriented epic like Bahubali they could have at least made the fight sequences good to watch. The only good action sequence are Vikram's introduction sequence. It was the only good one I would say. The VFX was a little generic and bad at some places. A. R Rahman's songs weren't memorable except Ponni Nadhi and Chola Chola. Other songs were boring and easily forgettable. Now for the good things. Before I go into anything I must praise Costume designer Eka Lakhani, Art director Thota Tharani and Cinematographer Ravi Varman for their brilliant work in this film. Ravi Varman's visuals is just mind blowing. Coming to the performances, Vikram is just brilliant as Adithya in the minimal screen time he has got. He just acts with his eyes. Karthi is brilliant and for me, him as Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan was my favourite performance from all the performances. Trisha is great as Kundavai and Aishwarya Rai as Nandini is just awesome and mind blowing. She is like eternal beauty in this film. I liked her in every frame she came in. And finally Jayam Ravi as Ponniyin Selvan is formidable in this role. Jayam has done great in all of his frames which he came. I think it is his best performance of his career. A. R Rahman's score is another best thing about this film. Although he somewhat failed in songs, it is score which he gets right. Finally we come to the visionary Mani Ratnam. He has remained mostly faithful to the novel and that is what makes me happy. I hope the second part is great as this and good enough.

So I happened to watch this film in theatres and was very hyped for it for multiple reasons. But I was surely dissapointed by the final product which just turned out to be an average flick. So this film has multiple layers but none of them are able to blend properly while some feel forced. The screenplay by Murali Gopy is average at best and nothing else. First half is engaging and you won't feel much lag mainly due to some great performances. Second Half starts with a lagging monologue from Prithviraj but later the film gains pace after sometime. Talking about film's performances, Siddique, Saiju Kurup and Srikant Murali are the standout performers. Prithviraj is great especially in the emotional sequences but some places I felt his dialogue delivery was not convincing. Indrajith was OK in this movie and had nothing much to do. Vijay Babu was just being Vijay Babu. He showcased a good performance in first half but in the second half it felt like artificial acting. Hannah Reji Koshy and Isha Talwar have nothing to do in the movie. The film faults mainly at writing department. I liked the backstory and the emotional depth could be felt but the present timeline could have been much better. The characters were not written and explored properly except Siddique's, Saiju Kurup's and Prithviraj's characters. The film's best momment is it's climax and that's it. The Music by Murali Gopy is forgettable and the Title track is just bad and boring. Cinematography and production values are rich. The direction by Rathish Ambat can be complimented but still the writing let's all of it down. The movie can be seen for it's performances, first half, emotional depth, Climax and the visuals. Its watchable, at least.

Brahmastra is a Visual spectacle in its own right. Directed by Ayan Mukherjee, the film has a lot of things to say wow and some places to say meh.

Firstly I would say the dialogues are childish and so bad at sometimes. It is sometimes very exposition heavy, It sounded really generic for me. The performances is mixed. While I think Amitabh Bachchan is great and is in fine form he is handed with exposition heavy dialogues. Mouni Roy is menacing and has given a memorable performance. While Ranbir is just doing his usual stuff and is doing nothing new. He falters in the dialogue delivery. Same said for Alia as she is just the mere love interest. Their chemistry is bad and I would say the movie's biggest negative is its romantic track. You feel nothing for the characters. It just slows down the entire movie. While I would say Nagarjuna and Shahrukh Khan did a fantabulous job as they created a hell of an impact in just a short screen time. The action set pieces and visual effects is great as hell and you would have a hell of a theatre experience. Especially the Vanarastra and Nandiastra action sequences, the car chase sequence and the climatic battle. It is just a treat to watch on the big screen. The music is really great with stand-outs like deva deva and rasiya. While Kesariya is good but it is just misplaced in the movie and Dance ka bhoot being a good introduction to the happy-go-lucky character. The BGM is awesome and elevates the action sequences. I would say, if the writing would have been better then the movie would have been some what an Indian Avengers. This one is a must-watch theatre experience. I hope the film becomes a blockbuster and more to be made like this. I am waiting for the next installment Dev and I hope Ayan, the next time makes a superior movie. I conclude my review by praying that the Vanarastra and Nandiastra spin-off happens.