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Dasaavathaaram is a movie experience meant for people who are familiar with Kamal Hasan and his body of work. If you are not one of them, this exhausting exercise in multi-tasking may be laughably silly.

This may be the very first movie on chaos theory/ butterfly effect in India and the basic premise works quite well too. The populist idea of tying up the Tsunami as the necessary counter for something far more deadly is a plot point that works like a charm - though, the scenes that build this premise perhaps required a more explicit construction, for the benefit of the Indian audience.

The 12th century prologue, albeit short, is massy and mesmerizing. The American roles of Kamal Hasan (George Bush and the unstoppable killing machine, Fletcher) are, quite frankly, tacky. While it may seem like nitpicking, the prosthetics seem to completely miss the skin tone and border on albinism, quite unfortunately. Balram Naidu’s crowd-pleasing role is, well, crowd-pleasing, as intended. The man is on a roll expounding the cause of Telugu.

The Japanese avatar is obviously forced, but thankfully looks much better than its American counterparts. Khalifullah Khan is simply the worst - in terms of prosthetics, character and scope. Amongst the two other brief roles, Vincent Poovaraagan’s make-up is quite appropriate and the actor has visibly and vocally done his job well. The Krishnaveni paatti role is as laboriously silly as Sukanya’s prosthetics in Indian.

Avtaar Singh’s garb looks convincing and his stage antics in the Oh oh sanam song is vintage Kamal. His cancer treatment is straight out of a Rajinikant parody, however. Asin’s only dialog seems to be ‘Perumaale’ and she merely reprises her hapless, sprightly role in Ghajini, against a visibly older and tired looking Kamal in the role of Govind, the ‘terrific scientist/ scientific terrorist’ as Balram Naidu puts it. Mallika Sherawat is wasted - and this comment may seem like a stretch given the fact that its corollary has never really happened.

For a plot this serious, the surrounding situations are mostly juvenile - something director KS Ravikumar is known for, unlike his ambitious peer, Shankar, whose screenplay displays a certain polish, thanks to his association with writer Sujatha. But, considering Kamal Hasan is in charge of the screenplay, this is a surprise. The inclusion of Crazy Mohan styled gags are enjoyable to an extent, but tend to become tedious since they’re overdone at various points in the movie.

Technically, the film amazes with a scale hitherto not seen in Indian films. But, while the scale and even the scope seem huge, the execution, even in the much talked about Tsunami scenes, lack the finesse you associate with a relentless perfectionist like Kamal Hasan. To be fair, they are incredible for an Indian movie, but when the ambition is of the scale of ‘Ulaga Naayagan’ (Universal Hero), the comparison may be appropriate with The Day After Tomorrow and The Perfect Storm, not necessarily from those in Hindi, Tamil or Telugu film industries.

The songs by Himesh Reshammiya thankfully end abruptly and are one of the weakest points in a film of this scale. Devi Sri Prasad, however, seems to have imbibed the nature of the script rather well and has done his homework of watching as many Hollywood films as is humanly possible. The dialogs are thoughtful and on target in most places, specifically in places where the actor propagates his pet topic - atheism!

The beginning of the film, with a stage set-up where Govind starts to narrate the story and the ending when the director excitedly and irresponsibly goes on a hero-worship jig seem to indicate to the audience that this elaborate effort isn’t meant for the serious, discerning side of the audience. For an audience that is more open, willing to suspend disbelief and is aware of Kamal Hasan’s penchant for such experimentation, this film is a veritable feast. Too many cooks, of course. But, what the heck, this is world cuisine and every diverse ingredient adds to the rollicking fun! So immersed are we in the assorted avatars of this actor, that towards the end of the film, the person in the adjacent seat suddenly starts to resemble Kamal Hasan in a miraculous new garb!

Keywords: Kamal Hassan, Asin, Mallika Sherawat, Jayaprada, dasavatharam, dasaavatharam, dasavathaaram

For all the promise director Mysskin displayed in his debut (Chithiram Pesuthadi), Anjaadhey is terribly disappointing. Using the same realistic, lower middle class setting, he has an Ajmal who simply cannot emote and a Naren who sits down half-way, holding a wall every time he’s even mildly surprised. Prasanna’s menacing turn is commendable for the actor but he comes across merely as a caricature - that extra shot glorifying him when he’s finally dead perhaps panders to his hero-image! But, the worst offenders are the 30 minute chaotic, mess of a climax in the sugarcane field; and Naren’s decision to drop both his guns and get into a hand combat with Prasanna, in the climax – he’s a cop dealing with a rapist for heaven’s sake; and this was meant to be a realistic film! While I did enjoy Mysskin’s film making style – an impoverished version of Gautam Menon, if I could describe it - Anjaadhey is a drab for most parts and definitely lacks the stupendous impact of the film maker’s debut. What went wrong? The bigger budget? Oh that’s terribly unfortunate, ‘cos instead of getting a better film, we have a self-indulgent film, with only occasional strokes of brilliance.

Keywords: Naren, Ajmal, Vijayalakshmi, Pandiarajan, Anjathey, Anjadhey

Gone Baby Gone tests a recent, but amazingly well-ingrained - by our films, what else? - theory, espoused best in Maniratnam’s Nayagan - a wrong is no wrong, if it helps the proverbial four! Casey Affleck’s Patrick Kenzie stands to lose so much in choosing a line between the right and the wrong, towards the end of the film. But he takes a stand. Ben Affleck’s directorial debut deserves a lot more than a paltry best supporting actress nomination for Amy Ryan. This is a film that respects our patience and, interestingly, our curiosity on how things will pan out. Ben’s significant reworking on the screenplay level - of Dennis Lehane’s novel, is in one word, beautiful. It weaves an abduction yarn around something much larger in a way that it makes it worth every reveal, towards the end. But the best part of the film is how it forces us to revisit the completely forgotten big picture over a more pressing, impulsive middle layer that tugs to our heartstrings and a really personal bottom layer dilemma of the implications of certain decisions. Bravo to a spirited debut, Ben! My personal Oscar for 2007’s best film goes to your debut!

Keywords: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris

PS: I’ve seen all the other obvious’es - There will be blood, No country for old men, Atonement, Michael Clayton - and the likes. So, don’t hold me against that!

Pirivom Sandhippom’s script and screenplay is nothing short of a miracle in a state which thrives on loud, shocking or sudden twists in everything - films, megaserials or politics! It’s a simple story, told elegantly, with simple, delightful touches of emotion and sparkling dialogs. I continue to not like Cheran in front of the camera and he continues to not act adequately enough - but, he does look like a ‘Natesan’! Sneha is the soul of this film; much like Pazhaniappan’s debut, Parthiban Kanavu, and boy does she deliver! She’s amazing in a role that does not require a woman to shout, squeal, frown, wiggle and what not. Sneha just smiles and showcases other subtle emotions through her expressive face that you don’t even recall if what you saw was acting. The entire extended family of Natesan is sheer delight to watch, even though the lack of any kind of an antagonist, while being a welcome, pleasant turn, is mildly jarring. If there was one, it would be ‘loneliness’ and it does rear its exotic head in the second half and has been dealt with appropriately, by Jayaram, in a delightful cameo. Pirivom Sandhippom is an adorable slice of life.

Keywords: Karu Pazhaniappan, Cheran, Sneha, Jayaram

Kalloori is a brilliant example of perfect casting - Akhil, the girl who plays Kayalvizhi and the rest of the gang, and of course Tamanna, who’s ticket to fame till recently was being mistakenly identified online as the infamous bar girl Tarannum - the casting here simply steals the show. The milieu, dialogues and the narrative is achingly real, with Joshua Sridhar’s music working superbly in the background. The silent, untold romance between Akhil and Tamanna is handled with amazing maturity and intelligence - every stroke of directorial touch working big time in identifying and presenting the first signs of love oh-so beautifully. My predominantly city-led education wouldn’t have let me identify with the goings-on of a small town arts college, but the three years I’ve spent in Salem held me in good stead, in getting somewhat close. If director Balaji Shaktivel intended to give a rude jolt to his audiences through that unexpectedly harsh climax, he’s succeeded. It’s mighty sudden, though a tad too rude for a film that, for most parts, is hopeful. Like Kaadhal, Kalloori showcases accurately and with heartwarming flourishes, the uncluttered lives of a Tamilnadu we city dwellers have learned to leave behind and ignore.

Keywords: Balaji Shaktivel, Shankar

Despite the clichés, (songs, scrawny lead actor!) director Vetrimaaran succeeds with Pollaadhavan mainly through the masterful screenplay that spins an unusual tale with things progressively spinning out of control, much to our surprise! As for the scrawny lead, director Shankar, when he was re-launching Prabhudeva (post Indu!) in Kaadhalan, placed a minor Karate learning shot to convince us that a bag of bones could possibly deal with a hefty man. But, while Dhanush does look the part of a lower middle class boy yearning for a bike, the only other parts that equals Shankar’s Karate-shot are Dhanush’s mom asking him to get a bike of his size and Dhanush calling himself ‘chappai’. The chappai does go on to smash the shit out of the larger-sized villains, though, quite implausibly. Even the ravishing-heroine-falling-for-scrawny-hero part is sheer annoyance. Such quibbles aside, the film’s depiction of the urban underworld is superbly gritty. Most people live their parts amazingly well, specially Dhanush’s dad and Selvam, the lead villain. Pollaadhavan is enjoyably seeped in reality about ordinary people in extraordinary situations, except for one thing that continues to plague Tamil cinema - pandering to the hero, not for his emoting abilities, but for his connections.

Keywords: Dhanush, Polladhavan, Pollathavan, Kuthu Ramya, Divya, Dhivya, GV Prakash Kumar

What do you get when David Dhawan directs SJ Surya’s script for Vaali? You get Azhagiya Tamizh Magan. Vijay gets so side-tracked by a half-baked idea that uses ESP like vadumaanga, that you wonder why he even agreed to star in this dud! ESP and a double role holds fantastic opportunities, but not for a star like Vijay who needs to massage his stardom with more predictable sequences, film after film – something we’ve come to enjoy these days. There’s an absurdly fake outlook throughout the film that even for a make-believe prince like Vijay, ATM seems like an ambitious overkill.

Keywords: Vijay, Shreya, A R Rahman, Namitha

Think DDLJ 2.0! Jab we met gains immensely from Shahid and Kareena’s endearing and honest performances. There are the usual leaps of imagination - the shortcuts that work brilliantly for Shahid to turn his life around, but even those gel well within an earnest screenplay conjured superbly by the director. Pritam’s music and the choreography add phenomenal spunk to the proceedings while Kareena’s family - despite their limited screen time, are far more enjoyable than the average Chopra-styled extended khandan, particularly Dara Singh! Post his excellent debut, Imtiaz Ali learns his commercial lessons and gets the formula right, big time!

Keywords: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan

Why would anyone want to play extreme mind games with a high-flying advertising executive and his docile wife? Well, the one instigating the game is Pierce Brosnan, co-producer of this film. Its taut for most parts, closes loops reasonably well when twists the size of Bangalore roads’ potholes hit you towards the end and has adequately efficient acting. What makes this film interesting is that it may be free-made in India very soon…it’s a perfect candidate! Bhatt brigade? Abbas-Mastan? I can already picture Aftab Shivadasani and Emraan Hashmi in Brosnan and Gerard Butler’s roles, respectively

Keywords: Pierce Brosnan, Indian films copied from Hollywood, “There’s nothing like original art” - Mahesh Bhatt

Gwoemul (The Host) is an incredible genre shifter. It starts as a creature-fest, gets into some amazingly goofball comedy and even attempts to make a political statement amidst all that. But the point is - which goes missing even in most mainstream Hollywood monster films - that this one doesn’t let go of its human angle, even for a bit. Yes, its unusually funny at times, makes a strong statement on how silly people can get at the weirdest of situations, plenty of gore all along and even has a surreal scene where one of the lead characters who goes missing, silently materializes amidst the family and no one even reacts!

For most of us accustomed to straight, to-the-point monster movies, Gwoemul is a fantastic surprise. One moment you’ll be laughing your guts out and the next, you’re doing pretty much the same, in utter horror. Director Joon-ho Bong mixes the genres pretty well along with some very imaginative cinematography and effective background score.

The human angle - the child (Hyun-seo, played with quick-witted chutzpah by Ah-sung Ko) being carried away by the monster is indeed the mainstay around which the film revolves with a feverish pace. And that stays at the back of your, the monster’s and everybody else’s mind too. How the family grapples with the situation is something seen to be believed.

The Director gets his fingers on many seemingly disjoint things but makes a very strong point on the anarchy surrounding the country and how global forces lead the hapless country to react with both urgency and extreme insensitivity just because of the word ‘virus’! So, we have brief interludes on disjoint families, affordability, credit cards, American/ World aid in times of national emergency, mass hysteria lapsing into absolute comedy, a irreverent street-side tramp, tax on reward money and the best - an amazingly shot roadside reaction to virus infection, by a bunch of people waiting for a bus!

The finale was a bit of a muddle - to be honest, and Gwoemul does leave a few unanswered questions but in the larger interest of the film’s scope, they are perhaps best left that way. We seem to have got what we came in for and I didn’t expect even one fourth of what the film showcased. Gwoemul is a superb example in making movies that go way beyond conventions and even pokes fun at monster-movie stereotypes. But you, of course, may not notice it, since the film takes itself very seriously.

The creature effects per se are fantastic. The frenetic cinematography, highlighted during the first scene where the creature is introduced and the assorted chase scenes along the banks of Han river, is incredible. The music is highly effective, particularly towards the end. Song Kang-ho (Gang-du) pretty much carries the movie even when he dozes off every other minute!

Here’s one film that can afford the ‘expect the unexpected’ tag. You look for a creature-feature and get some serious shocks - on movie making and genre bending. And all that works. Big time!