Madharasapattinam going to be a big hit

The latest tamil movies 'Madharasapattinam' is running in full house in theatres. The movie hasn't released in Kerala yet. But the reviews in Tamil Nadu is very good.

There is a variety in the story and the script writer shows his talent. The story goes before the the independence era. The climax of the movie is so fantastic.

Not only the directors skill, we can see the the total team work in this movie. At last all came success when the movie is released. thanks for the whole cast and crew members of Madharasapattinam for giving such a wonderful film to us. Don't miss it, you should go and watch in theaters itself.

Language:Tamil
Director: Vijay A L
Producer: Kalpathi S Aghoram
Music Director: G V Prakash Kumar
Staring: Arya, Amy Jackson, Nassar

Movie Rating: 4.5/5

Rajinikanth appreciates Mani Rathnam's Raavan

An avid film buff by nature, Rajnikanth makes sure that he doesn’t miss any of the films. Indeed, he happened to be one of those audiences curiously awaiting the release of Manirathnam’s ‘Raavanan’. Released with around 2200 prints, the film has witnessed a grand opening in spite of mixed reviews.

Superstar Rajnikanth watched the film on Thursday evening at Devi Sridevi Preview theatre in T Nagar by avoiding all his urgents. Nothing could stop him from giving a standing ovation soon after the final credits. Apart from singing the praises of Manirathnam and Vikram, Rajnikanth appreciated Santhosh Sivan’s cinematography too. He recollected his previous experience with Santhosh as they had worked together in Manirathnam’s yesteryear blockbuster ‘Thalapathy’, which happens to be a modernized adaptation of the epic ‘Mahabharatha’.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajanikanth performed together in his upcoming movie, ‘Endhiran – The Robot’.

Pappy Appacha Review

The fervor anticipated in theatres when Dileep and Innocent arrives as Pappy and Appachan have not worked out very well.

Innocent and his son (Dileep) are living in Ithirikandam village just like friends. People considered them immensely rich even while they are going through tough times. They were looked upon with envy by Sasankan (beautifully played by Asokan) and many others. The story then goes into a Panchayath election and all that fuss which was not at all needed for the film. How ever that sequence brought some comedies. Later Pappy and Appachan breaks. How they unite forms the crux of the story.

The titling of the film was extremely promising. There are good comedies. But the film dawdles after the first half hour or so. The actor who played the character Kuttappy has done extremely well. Kavya Madhavan marks her return as Dileep's heroine through this film.

The camera is disappointing with a brownish tone which doesn't match with the story's humor feel. Editing could have been made better. The fights are over inflated. The final portion of the film is handled in a naive manner. The climax showcases poor creativity and unfolds in the usual way. The final explanation of mysteries in the movie is drawn out.

Pappy Appacha couldn't guarantee what CID Moosa has done for Johny Antony. A sleeper hit.

The posters of the movie promised to be a light hearted tale on the friendship between an illiterate father son duo. But sadly the movie ends up as a B Grade flick with cheap/stale jokes( that seldom rises above the standard of silly ‘tintumon’ kind of sms jokes), loud action scenes, fake melodrama and a predictable climactic twist(which is a routine these days, thanks to Lal) that might have worked in the techni colour era.The audio CD of this movie had a couple of melodious numbers tuned by Vidyasaagar like ‘Manjin Velli’ and ‘Thammil Thammil’. For some strange reasons the makers haven’t included these two songs in the movie and there are two other noisy ones instead which can potentially gift you a migraine.

Coming to the performances, Dileep repeats his usual antics and one liners for the nth time with limited success. Innocent is wasted and he has had a better role in Satyan Anthikkad’s Manasinakkare with Jayaram. K.P.A.C. Lalitha yells at the top of her voice whenever dileep feels sad and so does the girl who plays Dileep’s sister. Kavya Madhavan looks plumb and totally unfit for the role. Cinematography was adequate which Sanjeev Shanker aptly did vizualising the beauty of Melukavu-Thodupuzha on screen. Had the editor been sincere to his work ,the movie wouldn’t have been this much painfully long and for the same reason I dare to accuse the editor for complacency. One of the plus points of the movie(and may be the only one) was the genuinely funny title cards.

You leave theatre with lot of unanswered questions like, why Innocent tells others that his son is responsible for sword cutting him and how does he realizes the truth in the end. Who was trying to hurt Kavya in front of church?

Length of the movie is 2 hours 45 minutes which surpasses all standards. If the script was modified enough to bring out the movie at 2 hours it would have worked. The film had the potential to become a hit. The story, script, dialogue and direction were all done by Mammas. When the same person is doing all this no one could guide and he won't know where the script is overwritten until the film's release. With more maturity the director can bring enjoyable films. Heavy reliability on commercial elements wonâ??t make a film good or successful. Lately Dileep's selection of movies are not working.

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance
Language: Malayalam
Duration: 2.3 Hours
Director: Mamas Chandran
Distributor: Grand Release
Staring: Dileep , Kavya Madhavan

Movie Rating: 2.5/5

My Name Is Khan Review

If you were looking for something in the league of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ (love story), ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ (family drama) or even ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’ (another love story, but with a twist), ‘My Name Is Khan’ is sure to bring across a surprise for you. Though you would find a love angle herein as well, it does not form the focus of the story. Rather, the flick grapples with one of the main issues that are facing the human society today - the typecasting of all Muslims as terrorists and the humiliation and ridicule that the innocent of them have to face, because of being classified thus.

With the backdrop of 9/11, ‘My Name Is Khan’ tries to bring forth the plight of the Muslim community as a whole. It seeks to send across a message that “most of the global terrorists may be Muslims, but all the Muslims in the world are certainly not terrorists’. And the person who tries to communicate all this is Rizwan Khan (played by none other than Shahrukh), a devoted believer who suffers from Aperger’s Syndrome. How he manages to do this is what forms the crust of ‘My Name Is Khan’. And the best thing about the movie is ‘Rizwan’, in the other words, Shahrukh Khan.

‘My Name Is Khan’ is one of the few movies where you get to see King Khan as a character, not a brand! He completely loses himself in the role and gives a splendid performance. Though he does not exactly manage a ‘Forrest Gump’, he is not far behind either. Another aspect that works in the favor of the flick is the excellent screenplay, compelling enough to make you sit back and take notice. The cinematography is simple superb and even the editing is crisp. However, ‘My Name Is Khan’ is not without its fair share of loopholes. For instance, the love track between Shahrukh and Kajol is too mushy.

The creative liberties taken in the second half are a tad difficult to digest. In fact, the second half seems to have packed in too much, with too little time at hand. So, the effect is a somewhat chaotic. Coming down to performances, as already mentioned, Shahrukh Khan takes the center stage. He is restrained, endearing and touches your heart. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Kajol, mainly due to her thin, sketchy character. One more name that is worth mentioning is Zarina Wahab, who plays Rizwan’s mother and gives a lovely performance. All in all, ‘My Name Is Khan’ is not exceptional, but not easy to dismiss either.

Genre: Drama, Romance, Social
Director: Karan Johar
Producer: Gauri Khan, Hiroo Johar
Banner: Dharma Productions
Music Director: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa
Lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar
Star Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Wahab, Parveen Dabbas, Arif Zakaria, Navneet Nishan, Sheetal Menon, Tanay Cheda, Arjun Mathur, Sonya Jehan
Release Date: February 12, 2010

Movie Rating: 4.5/5

My Name Is Khan Pre-release Review

Directed by Karan Johar, ‘My Name is Khan’ finally breaks the ‘K’ series unlike his previous hits like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Kal Ho Na Ho and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The most awaited movie of recent days, this movie has been co-produced by Johar (Dharma Productions) and Shah Rukh Khan (Red Chillies Entertainment) and is being distributed by Fox Star Studios. The movie focuses on the relationship between the Western world and Islam and how it has changed over the past few years. The movie is set to release on 12 February 2010.

Rizwan Khan (Tanay Cheda) is a Muslim child who lives with his mother (Zarina Wahab) in the Borivali section of Mumbai. He suffers from Asperger syndrome, a form of high functioning autism complicating socialization. On growing up, he (Shah Rukh Khan) moves on to San Francisco to live with his brother and sister-in-law. He meets a Hindu single mother, Mandira (Kajol), falls in love with her. They get married despite protests from his family and start a small business. Happily settled, September 11, 2001 strikes their relationship where Muslims undergo a sea-change. Rizwan and Mandira face a number of difficulties following which they split. Rizwan is upset about his love leaving him and embarks on a touching and inspiring journey across America.

He later meets Radha (Sheetal Menon), a therapist who helps him in dealing with his situation and his affliction. On his journey to clear his name, he meets President Barack Obama (Christopher B. Duncan). ‘My Name is Khan’ describes the journey of a family and how it changes post 9/11. Will the unconventional hero overcome the obstacles to regain the love of his life? Will Shah Rukh and Kajol be able to deliver yet another hit as they did in the past? Wait till 12 February, 2010 for the answers.

Bodyguard Review

Dileep and Nayantara have done their roles quite well but their combination doesn't give any screen presence. There are good counters every then that increases the mood. Siddique is not up to his mark as he used to be. Script lacks something in total. Ouseppachan has scored good music for the film and also visuals by S Kumar is excellent.

The songs of bodyguard are very good. But the choreography made by Prabhudeva is not thet much good. He didn't kept his level in this movie. There are rumors that Prabhudeva came to work in this film because of Nayans.

The movie is a family entertainer but Siddique should have done more to keep his name. The climax lights to one in Kuch kuch Hota Hai. Thyagarajan, Mithra Kurian, Janardhanan Harisree Ashokan and others are in the cast. Not an extra ordinary one but is worth watchable just once.

Movie: Bodyguard
Genre: Action - Thriller
Language: Malayalam
Release Date: 23 Jan 2010
Cast: Dileep, Nayantara, Thyagarajan, Mitra Kurien
Director: Siddique
Music: Ouseppachan
Certification: U

Movie Rating: 2.5/5

Happy Husbands Review

Saji Surendran's 'Happy Husbands' is a straight lift from Aneez Bazmi's 'No Entry' and talks of three husbands caught in a melee of events that drive them to the brink of insanity. The film entirely depends on disorder to raise some laughter, and lets three confused men on the loose who try real hard to 'take it easy'.

'Happy Husbands' is another family oriented comedy and has Jayaram, Indrajith and Jayasurya in the lead roles with Bhavana , Vandana and Samvrutha Sunil playing their wives. Saji Surendran who has directed the movie Ivar Vivaahitharayaal is directing this movie as well. The script has been written by Krishna Poojapura. According to the director, 'Happy Husbands, is about three jolly good guys and their effervescent wives played by respectively. One day a girl played by Rima Kallingal walks into their life and everything goes topsy-turvy leading to a twist.'

Mukundan (Jayaram) is a media baron who has had it up to the neck with a suspicious wife Krishnendu (Bhavna) who sees a prospective seductress in every woman whom her husband is likely to come across. Rahul (Indrajith) has the best of wine and women in his life, and a naive wife (Samvritha) at home, who thinks the world of him. John (Jayasurya) is a photographer who falls in love with Zarina, (Vandana) a psychology student who believes he is schizophrenic. When an escort by the name of Diana (Reema) lands in town, Mukundan gets introduced to her and while she clings on to him like a leech, the man goes on a lying spree and forces his friends to follow suit.

If you have seen 'No Entry', you have seen it all. Almost all the gags have been adopted per se from the film, and there are very few attempts at innovation. Except for Suraj Venjarammood of course, who would probably be one of the first comedy artistes who runs the danger of being typecast, since he gets to play key characters with the very same dimensions time and again.

What is really funny is the way the husband behaves in 'Happy Husbands'. In 'No Entry', Anil Kapoor is more of a human and almost gives in to the charms of a sizzling Bipasha Basu, and repents it later. Mukundan is on the other hand, the never-erring, never wavering Malayali husband, who wouldn't even dream of taking a look at what Diana has to offer. What perplexes me then is the regret this man has, since he has apparently never even had a wild dream about her.

'Happy Husbands' is different from its predecessors in that it plays a fine tuning game that makes it equally appealing to husbands and wives. The men in the film are therefore not lechers and do not lust after women, and they certainly cant help it if their wives do not see the real stuff they are made of. Take Mukundan or John for instance, and neither of them have the ability to see beyond their wives, and are quite content with this obligatory blindness of sorts. The doting wives spin their worlds around their husbands and sit waiting with their fly squashers to mash any intruding bumblebee into pulp. Matrimony makes the world a rosy merry go around.

There is an impressive star cast here for sure, and I am all with the riotously witty Indrajith who has the shortest role, but the one that takes the cake. He is the only one among the three, who is real fun, and displays an amazing sense of comic timing in the film. Of the women, his counterpart Samvritha looks lovely, Bhavna harms and Reema pouts even a bit more.

Sometimes it's difficult to recreate a film, especially if you are not sure if you want to retain the core spirit that made the original so endearing in the first place. Which is where, 'Happy Husbands' falters. Which is why, if you are on the lookout for a more comic, more real and more daring version of swaying husbands and steadying wives, you should rent a 'No Entry' DVD.

Genres: Comedy,Romance
Language: Malayalam
Released on: 2010-01-14
Duration: 2.2 Hours
Distributor: Galaxy films
Cast: Jayaram, Jayasurya, Indrajith, Bhavana, Samvritha Sunil, Reema
Director: Saji Surendran
Banner: Milan Jaleel
Cinematography: Anil Nair

Movie Rating: 2/5

Vettaikaran review

One of the most awaited movies in 2009 of Vijay is ‘Vettaikaran’. The movie has actor Vijay and Anushka Shetty in the lead roles.

Vijay plays the role of an auto driver while actress Anuskha plays the role of a medical college student.

Vettaikaran’s story is based in unwanted elements that need to be removed from the society and the country. Vijay makes efforts to remove these elements one by one in the movie.

Vijay falls in love with Anushka, who comes from a middle class family. Both share a great chemistry and sparks can be seen flying in the air, whether it’s fighting or romancing. Initially both fight every now and then, but finally they fall in love.

The movie is directed by Babu Sivan and produced by M.Balasubramaniam, B.Gurunath Meiyappan.

Vijay Anthony has taken care of the music for the movie. Sun Pictures has the rights of Vettaikaran from AVM productions.


Starring: Vijay, Anushka Shetty, Salim Ghouse, Sri Hari, Sri Nath
Director: Babu Sivan
Music Director: Vijay Anthony
Producer: M. Balasubramanian & B. Gurunath Meiyappan
Banner: AVM Production

Vettaikaran Movie Rating: 2.7/5

“Five point someone” to ''3 Idiots'

This is supposed to be a lucky omen for the movie because Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par and Ghajini were also released on December 25, 2007 and December 25, 2008, respectively.

3 Idiots, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, stars R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Kareena Kapoor, and Mona Singh.

The movie is based on the bestseller Chetan Bhagat’s 5 Point Someone – What not to do at IIT. The movie has been shot in Ladakh, Delhi, shimla, Bangalore and Mumbai. The 20-day first schedule of 3 Idiots was completed in Ladakh and Shimla, and the second schedule has commenced in Bangalore, in the first week of January 2009. The last schedule of 3 Idiots will be shot in Mumbai.

The music of 3 Idiots has been composed by Shantanu Moitra, and the lyrics have been penned by Swanand Kirkire. The screenplay of 3 Idiots has been written by Abhijat Joshi, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani.

The movie is about three IIT students who cannot cope with a punishing grade system at IIT. They all have a 5-point grade they are constantly struggling to improve.

Kajol will appear in a cameo role in the movie. Both Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were supposed to play the leads in 3 Idiots. Both turned down the roles because of a conflict of dates with Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan, which will be released in November 2009.

Posters and photo stills of 3 Idiots had been released in November 2008. An intriguing poster, designed by Rahul Nanda, was a talking point for a bit. The tag line on the poster says Choose Excellence – Success will Follow.

Meanwhile, Aamir Khan is still riding the Ghajini wave. Ghajini’s produced Madhu Mantena has launched an Aamir Khan figurine modeled on his six-pack look in Ghajini.

Language: Hindi
Cast: Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Banner: Rajkumar Hirani film
Music: Shantanu Moitra

3 Idiots Movie Rating: 4/5

Paa movie review

A very rare father-son son-father story...

A young boy suffering from rare, progeria-like genetic disorder relies on his relationship with his politician father to get him through the tough times. Thirteen year old Auro is bright, witty and affectionate. His mother Vidhya is a successful gynecologistand his father Amol Arte is a progressive politician who values honesty above all else. Aespite appearing nearly five time order...

Genre : Family, Drama
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Vidya Balan, Abishek Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Arundhati Nag
Director : R. Balakrishnan
Writter : R. Balakrishnan
Music : Illayarja

Paa Movie Rating: 3.9/5

Chattambinadu review

The story is set at a place called Chembattunadu, where two wealthy families have been fighting for several years. Both of them have sought the help of goons to fight against each other. Things get complicated when the goons take control of the whole area which results in Chembattunadu being renamed as Chattambinadu. The shooting of the film has been completed at Pollachi. Benny P Nayaramabalam, who scripted some of the big hits in the past like Kalyanaraman, Chanthupottu, Thommanum Makkalum, Chotta Mumbai and Annan Thampi among others, has scripted this one too.

Mammootty plays Vijendra Mallaya, who hails from a Kannada speaking area, but knows a little bit of Malayalam. With a stubble and clad in white outfits, Mallaya is a rich goonda, with several cases pending against him.

Siddique and Manoj K Jayan play feudal lords from rival families, who actually take care of the goondas. Vinu Mohan plays Mammootty's younger brother while Lakshmi Rai and Manikyam Maithily are the heroines.

But, it was said that the movie was somewhat a mix of many Mammootty films like 'Rajamanikyam,' 'Prajapathi', etc. Though all these are facts the movie is of an average. It was a Christmas release, and the movie was also a family entertainer.

Genres: Action, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Language: Malayalam
Director: Shafi
Distributor: Playhouse
Staring: Mammootty , Lakshmi Rai, Vinu Mohan, Manoj K Jayan
Singers: Afsal
Producer: Play House, Anto Joseph
Music: Alex Paul
Released on: 2009-12-24
Duration: 2.1 Hours

Chattambinadu Movie Rating: 3.7/5

Ividam Swargamanu movie reviews

The movie, Ividam Swargamanu is a good film. Mohanlal become the super actor through this film. The film was directed by Roshan Andrews and the script of the movie was written by James Albert. The movie was a Christmas release. It was said that the movie was a Christmas gift from Roshan Andrews. The initial reviews too was good. The movie is going to be a super hit with no doubt. Along with Mohanlal, Lalu Alex also played an important role. He made his role super. The movie is a full time entrainment. Eventhough the movie was full superb, the second half of the movie was more good than the first half.

Ividam Swargamanu revolves around Jeremias (Thilakan) who was a hard working farmer and his dream was to acquire a farm house. But he could not fulfill his dream. Later his son Mathews (Mohanlal) who started a business and developed and fulfilled his father's wish by acquiring a farm house.

Director: Roshan Andrews
Starring: Mohanlal, Lalu Alex, Thilakan, Priyanka, Lakshmi Rai

Producer: Antony Perumbavoor

Music Director: Mohan Sithara

Lyricst: Kaithapram, Bichu Thirumala

Ividam Swargamanu Movie Rating: 4.8/5

Paleri Manikyam

'Paleri Manikyam Kolacase', the film directed by Renjith was a clesr classic film. The initial review was heard that the film was a super film and the direction and the camera shots were extremely good. Renjith, the hit maker shows his talent once more and he didn't made his fans worry.

Paleri Manikyam, the movie shows three different roles of Mammootty. Before the releasing of the movie, Renjith said that Mammootty has 3 roles. But he didn't said about the 3rd role. He made it as a secret. This made a little bit anxiety in the mind of viewers.

Mammootty's performance is perfect. He made a great come back from 'Pattanthil Bootham'. He now come back from it and reveals the talent and Swetha in a super glamorous role.

The movie is about the true incident, happened in many years ago and an ordinary person came to know the actual truth of the incident. He later came to know that all the stories behind the murder was a lie and the actual murderer was ... He at last find the murderer. The story had a good twist in the climax.

The was going to be a super hit film. All the movie lovers accepted this movie and the direction and camera works has got it's appreciation.

Genre: Crime/Drama

Release date: Dec 5

Director: Ranjith

Cast: Mammootty, Manikyam Maithily, Swetha Menon

Paleri Manikyam Rating: 3.5/5

'Kappal Muthalaali' Reviews and Rating

Cast: Ramesh Pisharody, Sarayu, Mukesh, Jagadeesh etc.

Director: Thaha

Producer: Mummy Century, Remis Raja

Music: Sumesh Anand

Lyrics: Anil Panachooran

Cinematography: Sadath

Story, Screenplay, dialogues: Thaha-Saji Damodar

Movie Rating: 2.5/5

Kappal Muthalaali movie is about a central government employee Thulaseedharan (Ramesh Pisharady) who is son of an employee in a passport office. The father died while at office. Later Thulaseedharan got the job of father by the consideration of die in harness. But to clear his debt, Thulasi decided to take voluntary retirement.

From the amount he received from voluntary retirement, he bought a plot for building a resort. Nearer to his new plot was the house of Gulf Chandi (Jagathy Sreekumar). Chandi has no children and he loved his car like his own child. After buying the plot Thulaseedaran built compound wall for the property. This wall blocked the entry to Chandi's house. Due to this issue Thulasi and Chandi became enemies.

When the resort's work was in progress the workers got the remains of an old ship. The archeology department notified this place heritage. As he knew his effort to build a resort in that property will become futile, he decided to sell the plot. He approached Chandi for the purpose.

'Neelathamara' Reviews

Casting: Kamlesh, Archana, Samvritha Sunil, Devaki Amma, Sreedevi Unni, Rima Kallingal and others.

Director: Lal Jose

Producer: G Suresh Kumar

Director: Vidyasagar

Neelathamara Rating: 3.5/5


Due to alliance between M.T Vasudevan Nair and ace director Lal Jose Neelathamara was a much anticipated movie. Interlaced with sensuality and romance, this film has gained attention from audience due to the presence of new comer Archana Kavi, who is been presented with a sultry tone.

Neelathamara is a woman centric subject, the story is about the girl (Archana Kavi) coming as a house maid in a mansion to assist the landlady. Her son (Kailas) who return home after his studies take advantage of the maid, he later marries another woman. The story line is thin and the climax seems to be a full stop in the middle of story. The film hasn't got many characters; the director ensembles a fresh new cast including Kailas and Archana Kavi.

The song 'Anuraga....' tuned by Vidyasagar got received well. Those who have an ear for music found similitude with 'Karimizhi Kuruvi ' from Meesa Madhavan and 'Poove Poove Paalappove' from Devadhoothan.

With able direction from Lal Jose, cinematographer Vijay Ulaganath has successfully created moving frames with authentic look. Art direction from Gokul Das has immensely helped the film, Neelathamara, which is told in flash back.

Neelathamara having duration of less than two hours would have been better if made as a short film.

New hero Kailas was earlier seen in Anil directed 'Parthan Kanda Paralokam' in a small role. He rechristened as Kailas for the new avatar as central character in this movie. He has done well and can be considered a good addition to the youth in Malayalam film.

Kurbaan

Many storytellers have, in the past, narrated stories about terrorists and their nefarious and despicable plans. But let me state one thing categorically. You haven't watched a more profound, a more thought-provoking, a more dramatic story on this subject before KURBAAN. It's not just the most powerful film to come out of Dharma Productions, it's the most powerful film to come out of the Hindi film industry this year, thus far.

KURBAAN tries to penetrate into the psyche of not just the terrorist, but also someone who has been a helpless spectator all this while. This film is sure to spark off discussions and debates, although it must also be noted that it doesn't take sides or gets preachy.


Rensil D'Silva has chosen a burning issue for his directorial debut, which is a complete departure from Karan Johar's earlier films. For some inexplicable reasons, parallels are being drawn with FANAA [Aamir Khan, Kajol] and NEW YORK [John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Katrina Kaif], but the fact remains that barring the backdrop of terrorism, there's no similarity with those films.

I've often felt that certain films are beyond box-office. Movies are not meant to merely entertain, but enlighten and educate as well. They need to prick your conscience and in the process, make an attempt to make this world a better place. KURBAAN does just that and for this very reason, it deserves a double thumbs up.

Final word? Drop everything else you're doing to watch KURBAAN. Movies like these need to be made, encouraged and lauded.

Avantika [Kareena Kapoor] is a teacher at a university in Delhi. She has come back from New York where she teaches, because her father [Aakash Khurana] has suffered a heart attack. During this period, she meets a Professor called Ehsaan Khan [Saif Ali Khan]. Soon, they begin seeing each other and love blossoms.

A few months later, Avantika receives a call from her university in New York, asking her to come back. Avantika breaks the news to Ehsaan. He, in turn, tells her he doesn't mind coming to the States with her. But first they need to get married.

Soon after the marriage, they leave to start a new life in New York. They buy a house in an Indian neighbourhood and move in. Just as they are setting up home, their conservative Muslim neighbours invite them over for dinner. The next morning, Salma [Nauheed Cyrusi], one of the women Avantika met the night before at the dinner, visits her under the pretext of gifting her sweets.

When Avantika invites her in, Salma tells her that she is in grave danger. Nothing is what it seems. Salma pleads with Avantika to help her. What follows next is a series of incidents that sucks Avantika into a vortex of danger and intrigue. As her life spirals out of control, Avantika realizes that she is a pawn in a huge game.

KURBAAN has two stories running concurrently - the love story between Saif and Kareena and the story of Islamic terrorists. Rensil sets the stage in the initial 15 minutes itself, after which there's a twist in the tale every 15-20 minutes, which catches you completely unaware. Rensil doesn't borrow from the past, which makes the proceedings thoroughly captivating.

The highpoint is the 35-minute climax, which leaves you spellbound. The culmination to the story shakes you completely, largely because it's pragmatic and has been executed most logically as well. In fact, filming the climax at the various underground tube stations must've been the toughest challenge for the director.

On the flip side, KURBAAN caters more to the intelligentsia or the thinking viewer and might not be lapped up whole-heartedly by those who survive on the staple diet of hardcore masala fares.

Some of the finest technicians in the business are associated with KURBAAN. Hemant Chaturvedi's cinematography is super. The film bears an international look all through. Salim-Sulaiman's music is well integrated in the narrative. At least two tracks merit a mention - 'Shukran Allah' and 'Ali Maula'. Anurag Kashyap and Niranjan Iyengar's dialogue are superb. The lines enhance the impact of several sequences. Thrills are, again, in sync with the mood of the film.

KURBAAN is embellished with superlative performances. Saif is extra-ordinary in a role that only proves his versatility once again. If he won your heart with a winning performance in LOVE AAJ KAL a few months ago, you need to watch this supremely talented actor underplay his part so beautifully in KURBAAN. As for Kareena, KURBAAN reiterates one fact yet again: She's the best in the business. No two opinions on that! Watch her get those emotional sequences right, it's incredible. Here's a performance that truly merits the highest praise and admiration, besides fetching her awards and accolades.

Vivek Oberoi is fantastic. Matching Saif and Kareena at every step, KURBAAN should be the turning point in Vivek's career. It's a difficult role to portray and only an actor with a wide range could've portrayed this part so effectively. Om Puri is top notch and so is Kirron Kher. Kirron is marvellous, especially in the penultimate scene. Dia Mirza, Nauheed Cyrusi and Kulbhushan Kharbanda lend credibility to their brief roles.

On the whole, KURBAAN is the most powerful film to come out of the Hindi film industry in 2009, so far. The film has a captivating plot, gripping screenplay, super performances and a climax that shakes you up completely. Watching this movie should be on top of your agenda this week.

Seetha Kalyanam

We have been waiting for the release of this movie for a long time and it seems that finally our prayers have been answered. Malayalam movie Seetha Kalyanam by filmmaker T K Rajeevkumar with Jayaram and Jyothika in the lead is all set to grace the theatres shortly. The movie has been produced by Revathy Kalamandir.

Indrajith, Geethu Mohandas, Jagadeesh, Janardhanan, Siddique, Bhiman Raghu, Manorama, Devi Ajith, Bindu Panicker and Kalpana are the others who also play key roles in the movie. The movie revolves around the theme of friendship and will also showcase the elaborate marriage customs observed among Tamil Brahmins in Kerala. The movie also boasts of a strong humorous vein.

Kerala Cafe - Initial Reviews

'Kerala Cafe' has a very good initial review. All most all people who have seen the film in the releasing date had loved the film. It is a combination of 10 directors.


Except Mohan Lal most of the super stars had acted for this movie. Kerala Cafe will be a new Milestone of Malayalam film industry.


Renjith is the one of the producer and director of Kerala Cafe. The initial reviews reveal that, it will be going to be another super hit of Malayalam films.

Pazhassi raja

Hariharan, MT Vasudevan Nair and Mammootty, the people behind Oru Vadakkan Veeragaatha, an epoch making film that became a milestone in Malayalam cinema, are in the making of another epic, which is to hit the screens during the Christmas season. The film, which is being shot with a Pan Vision camera and exploits the latest technical advancements, has Mammootty playing the lead role of Pazhassi Raja. Tamil actor Sarath Kumar makes his debut in Malayalam with this film, playing Edachena Kunkan, the best friend of Pazhassi Raja.


Sarath Kumar made an exciting performance in this movie. Mammotty is good in this film but sarath Kumar is excellent. Mammotty play the role of 'Pazhssi' and Sarath Kumar as his right hand, a good warrior.


The movie had a good feed back. The film has a duration of 3hrs 15mins. The only bad feed back is of the language used by the characters in the movie. Padmapriya is another intersting and super character.

Ivar vivahitharayal review

Ivar Vivahitharayal directed by Saji Surendran is a good family entertainer. Bhama is the heroine in this film, where Navya has guest appearance.

Humor by Suraj Venjaramood is the highlight. He was extremely good and was able to make viewers laugh all through the movie.

When a film gets well, all factors come out good. Jayasurya has acted well and is able to make people laugh and create emotion in them. Bhama and Samvrutha put their good effort. Siddique looks young. Nedumudi Venu does his role finely as usual.

Story - Jayasurya and his friends, which include Samvritha have completed MBA from Pondicherry University and comes back to their home in Cochin. Jayasurya's ambition is to marry soon and he expresses it to nearly divorced parents. They won’t take it seriously as he is childish and immature. He later convinces them, his call for to get into family life. He gets married to Bhama who was a radio Jockey. The later part of movie deals with the problems protagonist has to face while leading his married life and mis understanding between the newly wed.

The presence of three actresses in movie attracts the viewers to theatre. The comedy handled by Suraj impresses viewers, which is followed by some sentiments. Being Jayasuya flick filmgoers have lesser expectation which will also help the movie.

Anil Nair's cinematography worked to the mood of the film. The editing is fine.

The songs are good and picturised well.

The film has old song 'Poomukha vaadilkal sneham.. bharya' which first look awkward and create uneasiness and later, as audience moves with story the song seems to suit.

The film comes with its share of flaws though, most of the film happens indoor. In some places it looks like a serial. Movie is very preachy at times; especially to the climax which makes it look a bit over stretched. The back ground music is loud at many places.

Saji Surendran with his experience in serials knows the pulse and made a good movie which can attract family audience.

Though nothing special, the film can be watched with family.