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Reviews
Jai Bhim (2021)
Real life story of Justice Chandru about socially downtrodden tribal people in south India.
.The story revolves around the crusade of a conscientious activist lawyer Chandru played to the T by Surya Sivakumar) who fights for the downtrodden masses. Surya has taken the mantle of the firebrand real life advocate and subsequently well known real life hero - Justice Chandru and breathed life in the character. When he is not mouthing dialogues, he conveys a vicissitude of emotion through his handsome visage and those fluid and sharp eyes at every turn but never going over board. In this movie he takes up the fight of a defenseless Irula tribal woman (Senganni)and her quest for justice - her missing husband is(Rajakannu) whose whereabouts are not known after he is dragged into the police lockup for investigating a theft wherein he is the suspect. Surya takes up what looks like a Kargil mountain climbing kind of a case which appears to be an open-shut case in favor of the Tamil Nadu police department. In the process he delves, prods and probes deep into the deep rot into the justice department and the myriad laws and bylaws which subjugates many a valorous but now downtrodden tribe of Irulaa. In this case, it is the ancient Irula tribe who were warriors and plant medicine experts from a bygone era. Now successive governments and local politicians and police machinery use them as broiler chicken criminals to feed their greedy masters to plug loopholes and to gain footholds into higher echelons of power and greed for wealth. Chandru's first court appearance in the movie is about a man from a minority community who has been wrongly incarcerated by the cops, who are under pressure to close pending cases. With a single petition in the Madras High Court, Chandru manages to get bail not just for his client but about 7,000 people, who were possibly arrested on false charges across Tamil Nadu. That moment, you understand the power of courts and how it could be harnessed to hold unscrupulous men in power accountable. Chandru has a worthy adversary in the form of the chief government Advocate General played to perfection by Rao Ramesh (Ram Mohan), an effective and conscientious police officer IG Perumalswamy (Prakash Raj), a persistent social worker fighting for the Irula tribe - Mythra (Rajisha Vijayan, malayalam actress) and Sengenni( Lijomol Jose). One thing striking in the movie is all the protagonists are nonviolent and rebellious who don't bow their head to any form of tyranny. The men who are taken to violence are the villains in this movie. The barbaric methods of the cops were no match to the non-violent resistance and resilience of Rajakannu, Senganni and, of course, Chandru. This is a gripping court room drama filled with a deep social message, powerful dialogues and all round performance by all cast and crew. Now available on Amazon Prime. Rating 3.5/5 Deepavali special with a social message. Must watch.
Vinodhaya Sitham (2021)
A light hearted tale on our karmic existence with a profound message
Vinodhaya sitham, tamil, 2021, starring Thambi ramaiah and Samuthiraikani and an ensemble of supporting cast, is a family story with a deep personal and social message for each and every one of us. When you know when you are going to die, then the days you remain alive will become a hell. The idea of death has intrigued human civilization and the Indian scriptures has copious discourses on birth, dharmic and adharmic living and ultimately facing mortality. Samuthiraikani's latest endeavor probes, presents questions and answers through the interaction between the main protagonist - Parasuraam an egoistic, self centered, career driven man (Thambi ramaiah) who could have done a little better than what he has done and a very subtle performance by Samuthiraikani in a supporting role. The director has woven a tale centered around human fate, free will, luck, one' karmic existence and ultimately death. Although all these sound grim, the narration and messaging is simple, straight forward and one of hope. It says there is always a companion in your journey whether it is life or death and that is a hopeful message!!. The hyperactive Parasuram who takes the proverb - Time and tide wait for no one - too seriously, is confronted by time itself, played by a stoic Samuthirakani. As time actually waits for Parasuram to finish off his worldly duties, we are shown how little we eventually matter to the overall scheme of things. Samuthiraikani's direction is a layered Aloo paratha, yet the packaging leaves a lingering taste in the mouth and an ability to pause what we are doing and think how we want to spend rest of our life. I will go with 3.5/5. This is the surprise Deepavali hit we have been waiting for. Must watch.
Aladdin (2019)
Technical par excellence let down by uneven screenplay
At the outset the question whether the movie is good, average or bad depends on the audience in question. Kids and teenagers will enjoy this to the hilt. Not so much for serious movie goers. Aladin(Mena Mazoud) is promising and grows on you as the movie progresses but does not have screen presence and a limited range of emotions. Genie (Will Smith) and Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) have performed well and carry the movie on the shoulder. Impromptu breaking into a song routine becomes a head ache after a point and impedes the screen play. Marwan Kensari as Jaffar the schemeing minister of the Sultan is menacing and does his job. Verdict - Aladin is a technically excellent with lusterless lamp.