Originally Posted by
intexaqua
JAAN-E-MAN
Date ~ 26/11/2021
Venue ~ TCR Girija
Showtime ~ 09:30 PM
Status ~ Housefull (50% status)
Usually when makers opt for a novel theme, they fail to deliver a good stuff and mostly depends on usual commercial ingredients which are not mostly organic. But debutante, Chidambaram, proved me wrong. The main highlight is the sheer confidence of the maker in his script and presentation skills. Here Chidambaram required actors to play characters where one doesn't project and stand above the rest. For eg, the main characters are Joymon (Basil), Sampath (Arjun Ashokan), Dr. Faisal (Ganapathy), Monichan (Balu Varghese) & Kochappan (Lal).
This is an absolute plot driven cinema where the incidents pop up one after the other which helps in the development of the storyline. Thus there is no scene which has an unrequired presence of an actor. Secondly with this casting, Chidambaram can easily put one in the backdrop while letting the other to take over and later swap places. This is only possible if you have a smart script backed by an outstanding presentation filled with comic/smart moments and good emotional sequences.
Performances from the cast were top-notch where some delivered their best till date or breakthrough performances through this film especially Ganapathy. The actor who played Palakkadan Goon literally brought the house down. For a long time, I saw a performance from Lal where he doesn't go overboard. Some fresh faces added to the naturality of the characters.
This is hugely recommended and perhaps the Best Release as an Entertainer post Covid 2020. Don't Miss This Black Comedy by any chance!!!
Ratings - 9/10
MAANAADU
Date ~ 28/11/2021
Venue ~ TCR Deepa
Showtime ~ 10:00 AM
Status ~ Housefull (50% status)
Just like Jaan-e-man, I went to watch this movie after hearing some outstanding reviews. Though i was not impressed by the trailer, the movie proved me wrong. The time loop idea is a bit of a Deja-vu (As referred by the lead character) but here the presentation scores like anything. Venkat Prabhu is back in form after a bunch of poor works and an overrated Mankatha (which can be forgiven as a star vehicle). Those who are aware about the theme can easily predict the storyline from the trailers itself. Infact the closest I saw is the web-series by Lucia/U-Turn fame Pawan Kumar (Kudi Yedamaithe) where we have 2 characters involved in the time loop. But just like in Maanadu, the films or series rarely gave a clear reason why such a thing happens. Here Maanadu tries to give out an explanation (of course in a filmy way) which worked out well.
The pace of the movie is breathtaking with some really smart writings backed with outstanding LOL moments featuring Dhanushkodi (S J Suryah). On downside, the female character, Seethalakshmi (Kalyani Priyadarshan) was poorly written an infact only required for 1 scene. Thankfully there was no space for unnecessary romance eventhough the only song in the movie suggested a smitten gal after seeing the hero's performance. Another sequence was the illogical intro for STR. Infact I expected some twist based on that which didn't happen and thus stood out as a sore thumb. Trust me, these minor negatives really don't play a role as you watch the movie.
STR was good but unfortunately he couldn't do anything whenever S J Suryah is present in the scene who is the star of the show. All the applause...I really mean by that...all the applause are specially reserved to him. I wish someone played the role of Chief Ministers instead of Thalapathy's father. Kalyani Priyadarshan was wasted while Premji Amaren was over as usual. Karunas just didn't let his presence felt. Y G Mahendra displayed his experience as a veteran actor in the movie.
Other than a peppy marriage song for STR to dance, surprisingly there is no song which shows the maturity of the maker to avoid swiss alp songs, item number etc. Yuvan Shankar Raja is in outstanding form to deliver a brilliant for this racy work.
Another huge recco for audience who loves time loop thrillers in a desi style without killing the soul of such genre.
Ratings - 8.5/10
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