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MOVIE - UNNAI POL ORUVAN ( Tamil , 2009 )

Director : Chakri Toleti

Cast : Kamal Haasan , Mohan Lal , Lakshmi

Well , what can I say ... What do you expect when you get a movie with the stalwarts of Indian Cinema coming together... A scorcher .. and a scorcher is what you get folks.. Ladies and Gentlemen , Unnai Pol Oruvan ( UPO ) , the remake of " A Wednesday " brings together Kamal Haasan and Mohanlal.

UPO portrays the events which unfold on one fateful day in the city of Chennai. The entire movie revolves around Kamal Haasan , who threatens to blow up bombs which he has placed in different spots. He deals with Chennai's Police Chief , played by Mohanlal , upon whom the duty to save the city is vested upon .

Brilliantly shot , UPO is an absolute treat for cinema lovers.. Although the movie remains faithful to the original movie , certain subtle changes have been made to make it more of a Tamil oriented movie. UPO shows what can possibly happen when a man representing the common public is so disgruntled by certain aspects of the Country , especially when extreme threats are posed to National Security.

I don't feel the need to elaborate any further on a simple story . The story is definitely an innovative one , and although it does belong to the "anti-establishment " genre of movies , if I can call it that , this movie is not a preachy one with a dozen punches about Deshbhakti etc thrown in .

UPO certainly pretty much sums up the sorry state of affairs in today's world , especially the Terrorism aspect . There are certain similarities at least concept wise to movies based on vigilante-justice , however UPO does not preach it in any way. A very simple plot sometimes forces the Director to normally resort to unwanted means to bring in the audiences , and thankfully the Director does not do any of that in UPO.. No songs , no item numbers , no separate comedy track . It is just a clean , honest and well intended jibe at today's world , especially India , which bears the brunt of terrorism from across the border.

The screenplay does appear to sag just a little bit in the first half , but it definitely grips you from the beginning. Not much of unwarranted scenes , and this helps in keeping the viewer hooked to the proceedings on-screen.

UPO is a fine example of how you do not need a comedian to make the viewers laugh. The witty dialogues are enough to bring out a chuckle from the audiences. Watch out for the scene where an actor / wannabe politician , asks Mohanlal for extra security . That was such a direct shot at the Illaya Thalapathy Vijay , and this scene had the theatre in splits. It is moments like these which provide some humor , a break from the more serious sequences which constitute the bulk of the movie. However it is the serious moments which linger even after exiting the Theatre...

UPO is one movie , which requires the audience to pay close attention and relish the finer aspects of film making. The reference to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks are evident in a few parts of the movie. The references to vote bank politics and other such things are all well portrayed.

UPO practically covers every problem which the country faces , right from Terrorism which is the crux of the movie , to Inflation , in that wonderfully shot scene where Kamal picks up a tomato which has fallen in dirt . Even though it touches upon so many problems , it does not come across as a preachy , documentary kind of movie at all. Another standout scene has to be the one where Lakshmi , who plays the role of Tamil Nadu's Chief Secretary , tries to pass on the responsibility of dealing with the situation to Mohanlal.

Acting.. Well do I really have to comment on this aspect ? Mohanlal , as the Police Chief is an absolute delight to watch . Lalettan , India's best actor after Kamal, simply shines in all sequences , and is a picture of dignity and Straightforwardness throughout the movie. He has obviously enjoyed playing the role and the theatre went mad when he said " Not only Kerala , Tamil Nadu is also my Nadu "..

The supporting cast too have come up with good performances to backup Lalettan and Kamal . Lakshmi is absolutely natural as the Chief Secretary and other characters like the Police Inspectors Sethu and Arif , the Cigarette wielding TV Reporter , have all added value to the movie. Not forgetting that imitation of the voice of the Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi , whom we only get to hear over the phone :)

Now .. The Ulaga Nayagan himself.. an amazing performance as always from undoubtedly India's BEST ACTOR EVER .. Portraying as simple a character as the Common Man , might be easy when you think about it. Believe me , it is a very tough one. And when you realize how every emotion , ranging from Anger , to disillusionment with the system , to grief , needs to be portrayed all together , I can't think of anyone who fits the bill more than Kamal Haasan. He has underperformed his role to perfection . And those clever dialogues in that brilliant voice of his , man , what an actor :)

Background music is nothing great to be honest . But the songs which were released , were amazing stuff , from Shruti Haasan , who makes a very impressive debut as Music Director in UPO. I would have been delighted if the songs were played in the background , but sadly we don't get to hear them that frequently , except in a few places.

Cinematography and other technical aspects are excellent as in most Kamal films , as he has impeccable standards which he sets for his movies. In my opinion , the dialogues are the best thing about the movie. "Brilliant" is an under-statement , as far as the dialogues are concerned.

Finally comparisons with " A Wednesday " .. Well , all I can say is if you have seen the original then this one probably loses out on the novelty factor when you watch it , cos the Director has remained faithful to a massive extent , and thus the "josh" is tough to experience , but the superb and clever dialogues definitely make up for it. But if you have not seen the original , am certain you shall love UPO.

Overall I shall go with 4 out of 5 for this excellent movie .. not only is Kamal's character the " new face of terror" , it also represents the new face of Indian cinema.. Bold , innovative , and delightful.

P.S . Am sure many people will not notice this when you watch the movie. But I beg you to watch out for this.. The stand out moment is a scene where Mohanlal watches his men dress up in protective gear and then says " These are the latest bulletproof vests.. Thanks to Mr.Karkare ". That dialogue is simple , yet magical for those who really experienced the trauma of their fellow citizens , when the dastardly attacks on Mumbai and other places happened. And in certain ways , it makes the movie appear as a tribute to those unsung heroes who laid down their lives fighting for us .. You and me.. The common man.. Unnai Pol Oruvan..

VERDICT : 4 / 5 ( Excellent )

MOVIE -- NINAITHALE INIKKUM ( TAMIL , 2009 )

Director : G N R Kumaravelan

Cast : Prithviraj , Karthik Kumar , Priyamani , Shakti , Bhagyaraj

Now , how many movies have we seen , based on college nostalgia , meeting up old college friends at a reunion etc ? This is another movie added to that genre , which pretends to send you down memory lane reminding you of your college days when you watch this movie. At least , that is what this movie pretends to do , but in reality , seems half-baked.

The movie is almost entirely based on a flashback , when Shiva ( Prithviraj ) , visits his College for a function 8 years after he left college. Shakti and Prithviraj are best friends . Then there is Meera ( Priyamani ) , who happens to be Shiva's love interest . Vasu ( Karthik ( Evam ) ) is shiva's bete-noir in college , and both always have an excuse to bash each other . Now , through a series of events , Priyamani and Prithviraj get separated romantically , thanks to an evil plot schemed by Vasu. Let me stop with the story here , as there is nothing much more to be written about it.

This movie inspite of it's good intentions , made me yawn . It is largely due to the numerous songs thrown in , when they are completely unwarranted . The story too has the least bit of novelty , and seems to be a half-baked mix of Mystery , Romance , College Drama etc. Sadly , what turns up is hardly delectable fare.

Quite a few scenes , even though well intended , fail to keep the viewer engrossed in the proceedings. The Director chooses to bombard the audience with an overdose of melodrama at regular intervals , mainly through the character of Bhagyaraj , who portrays the role of Shakti's father. Dialogues hardly make any impact at all , and are met with laughter from the audience , thanks to their sheer silliness . Cliche ridden at the outset , the dialogues hardly add any value to the movie.

The so called "comedy" scenes in the movie seem to be Directed by some 3rd Grade School student. God , have not we seen enough Classroom humor ? a Professor lamenting about his bunch of unruly students .. The ridiculous scene in which there is an attempted spoof of "Kaathal Kondein " , is so badly taken , it actually makes you laugh at the stupidity unfolding on-screen , rather than at the actual comic factor. And there is another horrendous attempt at Comedy , when Prithviraj and his friends go to watch a movie , only to be unknowingly caressed by eunuchs , which they don't realize until the lights come on ... countless movies contain this scene , and you simply cannot digest it any longer .

The fight scenes however are well shot , and thanks to the intensity portrayed by Prithviraj and Evam Karthik , they stand out. Songs are absolutely unwarranted and only a couple of songs are worth listening to . Add to it the obnoxious background score , which sounds amateurish to say the least. Oh , speaking of songs , wonder who choreographed the sequences . Shoddy dance steps .. I generally never tend to focus on Dance sequences at all when I watch movies , but there were some preposterous dance steps in this one which made me take notice , and the rest of the audience along with me , who had a good laugh at the choreographer's expense.

Acting is probably the saving grace of this movie. Prithviraj has come up with a very good portrayal of the tempered Shiva , who is aggression personified . Evam Karthik is the best among the lot , even though he does not have as much screen space as I would have liked , but still comes up with an excellent performance in a role which offers limited scope. Priyamani has nothing much to do. Shakti tries his best at acting , but , son , sorry to say this , but you gotta hone your skills even more , especially when you are teamed with people like Prithviraj who is an established Malayali actor , and Evam Karthik , who is easily a fine performer. Bhagayaraj resorts to melodrama , but I guess that is his trademark , and comes up with a dignified performance , even though some of the dialogues which he uses generate unintended laughter from the viewers.

Screenplay is this movies' Achilees Heel. Every scene seems to be extended beyond reasonable limits , and add to it some unwanted sequences , amateurish humor , and you have one of the worst first-halfs I have ever seen . Too slow , you just cannot wait for the Interval , so you can stretch and relax a bit , after being subject to such stupidity on screen. The second half is by no means good , but I guess anything is much better when compared to the ludicrous first-half. The second half shows some element of credibility , and there is a twist towards the end , which might surprise you , and comes as a welcome respite.

Melodrama , unwanted songs, horrid humor , and silly dialogues--- These are the elements which pull down the movie the most. There are some excellent moments though , thank God. But very few in number sadly. The movie definitely has it's heart in the right place , but I only wish it could have been executed much better.

I will go with a rating of 2 out of 5 for this movie , which is a remake of the Malayali film "Classmates" , which many people say is an excellent movie , and apparently has none of the elements which pull down "Ninaithale Inikkum".

VERDICT --- 2 / 5 ( Hardly Average ).