Nov 13, 2007

Deepavali movies - Back to the Past



Watching two supernaturally inspired movies in less than 24 hours is what Deepavali had to offer. Both the movies are a little too late.. one by 20 years and the other by 30 years.

1) Azhagiya Tamil Magan (ATM):
After watching this, I will have to think a thousand times "Do I HAVE to go to ATM to withdraw money?" It is like post-traumatic disorder, recalling the trauma upon hearing something connected to it. Probably I should have known what to expect of a Vijay movie when I sat to watch the film, but still Vijay and his directors have the uncanny ability of testing the patience of the 'patientest' people. When you have some of the scenes resembling 'Durga' and forcing you to recollect its mundane details, you know you are watching a wrong movie at a wrong time.

This movie makes other movies in which we questioned the logic, such as 'Sivaji', as blemishless classics. The first half was atleast palatable..The climax scene is as cliched as it can get.. (am not talking about Namitha appearing in a properly-worn-saree). As Vijay says, my consolation was "ethanaiyo kuppaigalai parthuttenn.. Idhai parthu porukka mudiyadha?" Vijay's dance, 'Pon magal vandhaal' remix, and two more songs helped somewhat to bear the torture (the insertion of the last song is among the most atrocious in recent times).

2) Om Shanti Om:
Shah Rukh and Farah Khan had earlier combined to give a 'lotsa-holes-but-still-light-hearted' "Main Hoon Na", where Farah had showed her liking for old Hindi songs by incorporating them in the scenes where Shah Rukh meets Sushmita Sen. One would wish that she is through with showing off her love for old movies. In OSO, she fills half the movie with the old wine. Next what - a period film, may be? Pray to god using the title mantra...

The story is thinner than the heroine's (Deepika Padukone) waist. And it is older than the careers of most of the actors who dance for the much-hyped '51 special appearances' title song. The chemistry between the lead pair is as strong as between water and oil. The predictability is as much as an India-Australia one-day match. The choreography, expected to be top-notch, is as good as what the early-eliminating contestants of a dance competition would come up with.

The only pluses of the movie are its peppy music, a younger-looking-and-hot Shah Rukh and the freshness of Deepika. Shah Rukh continues his speaking-telugu-thinking-to-be-tamil act of KBC here too, with mixed success. Some of the other lighter moments make use of liberal digging at the Bollywood, its functioning and its personalities.

Farah educates us with some hair-rising facts of the 'other world': the ghosts too apparently need visas, so they cant fly abroad to take revenge on the villain.. they patiently wait till he comes back to the same city, same building, same room. A kid born at the same time when someone dies closeby will have the same features as the dead man, though there is no blood relation. Reincarnation, you see.. There is even a dialog in the movie in which someone suspects if a movie based on reincarnation will be accepted by Indian audience. I wish she attempted the story with some other lead actor to put her test to practice.

13 comments:

Ponnarasi Kothandaraman said...

Hindi review was new :) Me the watch no hndi movies... Shreya i the hate :D Anyways appalika varen.. Tata!

Me too said...

Iththa kaasu koduthu theatre-le vera paartheengala?

The II para of OSO's review was dhool!!

Anonymous said...

I think Shah Rukh's role in OMS can be played by any Tom Dick and Harry, but it takes an iron man to play the role of Amjad Ali Khan(Hey Ram), Kabir Khan (Chak De), and Mohan (Swades).

Akshay Kumar who had 2 min role stole the show. Songs were good except Dard E Disco [looks like it was targeted at high school girls ;)]. My favorite scene in the movie is the one where he is unable to convey the perfect sentences formed in his mind.

Raju said...

Ponnarasi, enna engliphish ellam kalakkudhu?
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Aparna, hmmm.. indha deepavali-yai romba varushathukku appuram cinema parthu kondadalaamna mugathule sema kari..
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Vm, yeah, there was nothing special about Shah Rukh in the movie... he was wasted.

I totally forgot about Akshay.. he was simply superb.. I agree with you about the 'dumb act' scene... it was different..

J said...

LOL sutham :)) ATM - kelvi patten. ivvaLLavu mosamnu theriyaathu :-)

Nag said...

LOL-- "the ghosts too apparently need visas, so they cant fly abroad to take revenge on the villain.."

Raju said...

J, idhellam anubavichavangadhan unara mudiyum.. :(
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Nagesh, :)

Anonymous said...

hi raju, how ru? saw azhagiya thamizhmagan, didn't have any great expectations, and that was right. i dont know how long this paruppu will work with the audience, simply boring movie with songs added in at some places. i heard vel is decent, have to watch that, machakaran, i heard it follows jeevan's earlier movies, of his negative shade. Thamizh MA was great movie, u have to watch that if u haven't already. Haven't seen a good hindi movie in ages, saw this movie called NO Smoking, it was different. Cricket, sachin seems to be kalikifying but keeps getting outs in the 90s.

Raju said...

Nitin, I am good.. how r u? Still in Ocala?

I havent watched Thamizh MA yet.. For a good Hindi movie, I would recommend Iqbal, though it is not a recent one.

Cricket: Yeah, I am so glad to see Sachin scoring heavily. Hope he continues to do so for a few more years..

Mannaru said...

OSO - self inflicted torture..wasted time and money..SRK is still on a marketing blitzkrieg to promote this piece os S@$%... heard the BCCI officials are miffed as he is using cricket matches to promote the movie..

Raju said...

Eddy, hmmm.. very absurd movie for our times, really..

Ramya said...

:)) enjoyed both the reviews.. absolutely hilarious.. heard a lot abt these 2 movies. dint watch thmm yet.. imagine farah directed tis movie when she was carrying..paavam her kids..

Raju said...

Ramya, thanks.. It actually turned out that many people indeed loved OSO.. though the movie was funny in parts, the story appeared too weak a link.. but those who liked it said that it was intentionally kept that way. After watching her both movies so far, I think she covers up weak stories with interesting elements sprinkled throughout.