[chinkara]

Originally Posted by shashanka

Another fascinating Bengali watch (Netflix) was "Meghnadbodh Rohoshyo", starring Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Abir Chatterjee, Gargi Roychowdhury. A gripping film based on a Bengali classic - the disappearance of a professor weaves a gripping mystery.

I found this a profound disappointment given the hype and the cast. Not more than 2/5, probably 1/5.

[somspaple]

Liger : Telugu movie on OTT: Action Drama

Those who have not watched it yet - believe me, I'm doing a public service. For the record I absolutely love no brainer Action Entertainers - probably that's the only genre of movie I like the most.
With the thought of 'how bad can it be?' - I decided to watch it. Well let me explain how bad the movie was:

1. I guess the director and the team were highly distracted during the filming and editing
2. I guess team was overconfident and thought little of the audience to that extent that they felt they were doing a favor by releasing the movie
3. Hero's stammering action, get's really irritating right from the second he enacts it
4. Mother's expression just before the MMA fight made me think if I missed a sequence!
5. And finally the ending - it was abrupt. But wait - to think of it that's a positive point, viewers don't have to suffer longer!

What a missed opportunity [considering the combination of director, hero and The Mike Tyson]!

Personal Recommendation:
Avoid/Watchable/Watch

[KPR]

Ponniyin Selvan I. 4/5.
Very good 1st half. Rahman has already given us excellent songs to hear in repeat mode for life.

Being an ardent fan of the novel my expectations were sky high from the movie. In fact I had underestimated a director like Maniratnam given the impact of Kalki's original writing. But he has done excellent work with the movie. Perfect casting of characters. Notable performances by Vikram, Aishwarya Rai, Jayaram and Parthipan. First time in my life I had gone for a first day first show at 4 am for a movie. I'm curious to read a review from a person who hasn't read the original novel to know if I'm biased.

P.S: My tbhp profile pic is that of Vanthiya Devan in his steed .

[procrj]

Ponniyin Selvan - Part I - Rate it 4/5.
Fan of the books and was fully expecting Maniratnam to screw up the movie. Was very surprised when the first half followed the books to the T and the second half was definitely better even though it didnt follow the book. Great cast, good music, good screenplay and direction, its the full package. Seriously considering watching it again in IMAX/P[XL].

Originally Posted by KPR

Ponniyin Selvan I. 4/5.
I'm curious to read a review from a person who hasn't read the original novel to know if I'm biased.

I think someone who hasnt read the book might struggle with understanding how these charecters are related. Not enough time has been spent building the background for many important charecters.

P.S: Trisha looks so much better than Aishwarya rai

[hema4saran]

Originally Posted by KPR

I'm curious to read a review from a person who hasn't read the original novel to know if I'm biased.

As a person who haven't read the novel, The story telling was simple and Maniratnam presented it in easiest possible way in 3 hours. I loved the movie and the casting was perfect. My friends who read the novel also were equally impressed by the way and said he covered the main crux .

Wait starts now for part 2. I need to find the hard copy of the book to read. I love to read these kind off epics in paper form.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by hema4saran

As a person who haven't read the novel, The story telling was simple and Maniratnam presented it in easiest possible way in 3 hours. I loved the movie and the casting was perfect. My friends who read the novel also were equally impressed by the way and said he covered the main crux.

That's great to hear. Maniratnam has achieved one half of his life's dream or ambition as director as he always wished to make this movie. I'm hearing only positive reviews about PS-I. Earlier the novel, now novel with movie characters ruminate in my mind to the extent that Aishwarya Rai will remain 'The Nandini', Vikram 'The Aditha Karikalan' and so on. I had already booked tickets for Sunday morning show. Going to enjoy the epic again .

[sixersiddu]

Kaantara - Kannada



Just one word OUTSTANDING!
When the makers of KGF took up this project, the expectations were quite high. The film lived up to the expectations and even exceeded. I don't think any Kannada movie showcased karavali culture as well as Kantara in the recent past. The man on a mission, Rishab Shetty as an all-rounder (hero cum director of this film) has scored a century and taken 5 wickets in the same match. The film starts rather slowly in establishing the story but keeps us engaged through subtle comedy, drama and a few well choreographed action sequences. The second half is where the spectator gets hooked to it like a high scoring run chase in a cricket match. And in the climax, Rishab the finisher takes over the charge to chase the target and win the match. He has breathed fire in the last 20 minutes leaving everyone spellbound. One of the best climaxes we may have witnessed in Kannada cinema! Rishab deserves all the accolades for his acting as well as direction. Top class effort. Ajaneesh's music elevates the film to another level and is outstanding. The selection of the artists for every role is perfect. They have just lived their characters. Special mentions for Saptami Gowda, Kishore and Achyut Kumar. A must watch in theatre for the unique experience of kannada folklore.

[somspaple]

Kaantara : Kannada movie in theater: Action Mystery

I was a bit hesitant to watch this movie initially - thinking it might be another hard hitting , performance oriented serious subject[hint: Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana - nothing wrong with the movie , but I prefer entertainers in general].

But this movie is anything but that - I mean in a positive way. It has action, comedy and mystery. Movie never feels heavy or over the top - every character has been perfectly balanced. Even though it is hard to follow some of the dialogues [there are English and sometimes Kannada subtitles for some Tulu!? dialogues] it doesn't hamper the overall experience. I felt the interval break annoying - couldn't wait for the movie to resume again. Probably will watch once again in theater [this time probably in Uravshi - Bangalore]. Needless to say a must watch!!


Personal Recommendation:
Avoid/Watchable/Watch

[thanixravindran]

PS1 Tamil : Rating: 5/5

A successful attempt by Mani Ratnam in recreating the epic novel by Kalki. I read the novel several times since childhood and a big fan, so I was really nervous on how it will translate to movie given the depth of novel. And my wife has not read the novel. She easily understood the movie plot. Both of us enjoyed the 3 hours.

Editing is brilliant to leave sub plots but at the same time some scenes are done so well that one can remember Kalki s words in the book. Spoiler alert: Scene where Trisha and Aishwarya Rai meets. However I feel background score is overdone in many places.

[Venkatesh]

Amul special doodle on Epic film by Mani Ratnam Ponniyin Selvan.

[hemanth.anand]

Kaantaara (Kannada)

Watched this movie yesterday in an Inox near my home.

The name means "Forest" and the story is set in a small imaginary hamlet in the dense forests somewhere near Kundapura of Karnataka.

The beautiful location, it's people, thier livelihood, language, customs and beliefs form the core of this movie. We need such movies to introduce people to the diverse vibrant cultures within Karnataka.

The plot revolves around the Annual Kambala and Bhoota Kola events that are two big celebrations in this small village. It gets complex when Forest department, landlords, real estate, personal interests and differences get into conflict with each other.

Highlight of the movie is powerful performances of seasoned actors like Kishore and Achyuth Kumar; Natural performances of actors like Prakash Thuminad, Pramod shetty, Manasi Sudhir and others. Even the relatively inexperienced Sapthami Gowda has done great justice to her role.

But Rishabh Shetty...Stellar! He's the left right and centre of the movie. Be it Bhoota Kola, be it Kambala, or when a "Spirit" enters a body...He has shown superlative acting skills. Not only acting, but even with Direction and the Story itself...This is easily his best work yet!

The story is almost perfect...It's a fiction but still very much believeable. Drama, Action, Horror, Romance, everything in just the right measure. There is Humor, there are adult jokes, but never Vulgar. Music/BGM fit so nicely to the story and none of the songs are in it just for the sake of it.

I'd have probably enjoyed it even more if I could completely understand Tulu or Kundapura Kannada, but nevertheless, Loved every bit of it.

I'd rate this movie 5/5

[naveen.raju]

Theerppu - Malayalam



Pretty good line of actors and that was it. Bad acting as well except for Siddique. Vijay Babu really gets on to your nerves. The only positive was the artwork/set which was pretty good.

Can be avoided.

Rating - 2/5 (Available on Disney+Hotstar)


Solamante Theneechakal - Malayalam



Guess Lal Jose tried to do a "Classmates" here. It was a decent effort especially with a new line up of actors. Pretty decent acting for newcomers. Although the climax was decent, they sort of didn't build any suspense or tension. It will be revealed even before you realize it.

One time watch.

Rating - 3.5/5 (Available on Manorama Max)

[Rajeevraj]

Ponniyin Selvan-Tamil

With all they hype around the movie, decided to make it a theater outing which has become very rare now a days. Being in my hometown helped as 5-6 theaters in the city playing the movie were all 10-15 min away.

Initial 30 minutes I was not wowed and felt maybe the movie was being overhyped. But of course, it is a Maniratnam movie and in his typical style, he draws you into the narrative and slowly ups the tempo which builds into a fantastic climax and leaves you with a last scene that makes you impatiently wait for part 2. There are almost no in-your-face- mass or elevation scenes, but that is how Maniratnam does it. Needless to say, the cast is all fantastic especially Karthi.

While it was expected that Aishwarya Rail would be good, the scene stealer in my view would be Trisha. Awesome screen presence and a great performance. She is pretty under-rated as a star in my view. Been in the industry from 1999 and has quietly gone about doing her work. In the last few years, not seen much of her, but has been consistently delivering some great movies. I think this role can really take her into a Nayantara like stardom. I read somewhere that the role was offered to Keerthy Suresh who turned it down for Annathe.

On the down side, it is very hard to keep track of all the characters and the Tamil is hard to fully understand. I am fairly well versed in the language and still found it hard to understand. My family struggled even more. Normally tamil movies never have a Malayalam dubbed release, but for this, there is a dubbed version and majority of the shows are of the dubbed version which makes sense. A regular malayalee viewer cannot understand it at all.

Rating:4/5 - Like all Maniratnam movies, definitely would merit a rewatch to understand the finer details.

[StarrySky]

Ponniyin Selvan - Part I (Tamil):

I felt that the movie is good, but falls short of being great. I would still recommend that this movie should be watched in theatres.

First, the positives. The performances from the cast is a positive. I think every technical aspect of this movie is amazing. VFX usage is seamless. The battle scenes don't have physics-defying stunts, they have kept it real. I haven't read the books, but I didn't have any issues following the story. It helped that I had watched one of the many videos on YouTube posted recently about the book. So I had some idea about the characters.

Now the negatives: In the first half, I felt that the songs slowed the narrative. This is especially true for Devaralan Aattam and Ratchasa Mamaney. The battle scenes were too short to generate any excitement (except the climax, to an extent). By comparison, the sequence involving Vanthiyathevan being chased by guards seemed to be too long. There are couple of other things too, but I don't want to nitpick.

However, my biggest grouse with the movie is that it didn't really deliver any highs. Or in other words, is there a scene or sequence from the movie that I would like to revisit and get goosebumps every time? The answer is no for me.

[volkman10]

As Ponniyin Selvan - Part I crosses 200+ cr.(ww) in 3 days, Amul pays tribute to its success.

From Roja to Ponniyin Selvan, a 30 year partnership