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Bakasuran is a message film, no doubt. The problem is that the message is victim-blaming, regressive and patriarchal.
With none of the characters demanding any empathy from the audience, Run Baby Run’s only leverage is the whodunnit. That can only take the film so far.
Vamshi Paidipally makes a film that Vijay is perfect for — song, dance, fight and some snide antics. Sadly, that’s precisely what makes Varisu rather superficial and, therefore, ordinary.
Part One is more of a great first-half than it is a wholesome film. And, of course, that’s how it’s meant to be.
Without the signature twistiness of Selvaraghavan’s oeuvre or a powerful performance by Dhanush, Naane Varuvean is bland.
Pa Ranjith stages a meticulously detailed, diverse and sharp contemplation on the socio-politics of love. As a whole, the film doesn’t quite add up.
The ordinary, drama-free, supportive family is a rarity in Tamil cinema — one that Velai Illa Pattadhaari does remarkably well.
It gets the absurdity and testosterone-heaviness of the film industry right. But as an investigation into an international crime syndicate, it offers nothing.
For a rom-com, Thiruchitrambalam has too much family in it, perhaps that’s how we love in the Tamil nation. To the film’s credit, it is handled exceptionally well.
To compensate for the utter lack of entertainment, Muthaiya fills the film with pointless songs and physics-defying fights — there is nothing new or engrossing in that either.
Pa Ranjith’s Dhammam stands out, like a probing short story, wholesome in itself. Even as the interpretations of victimhood are somewhat fresh, the other films settle for the ordinary.
‘Gulu Gulu’ is the journey of Google (Santhanam), an orphan/refugee who can not resist helping people at even grave personal costs.
Gargi is Priyanka’s do-over. Gargi bears in mind all the mistakes that Priyanka made and resists them.
In its 90-minute runtime, Iravin Nizhal takes up the colossal responsibility of telling its protagonist’s story from life to death.
Gargi is the story of the eponymous protagonist, who fights the system to save her father from a child rape case that she believes he’s wrongly accused in.
Yet, as an interpretation of the life and times of two of Tamil cinema’s most significant political figures, Iruvar returns empty, despite being one of the very few films exploring the era.
Nambi Vilaivu ends up being an uninsightful, simplistic and superficial telling of the life of a complex figure. It’s not just hagiographic, it’s blinded by its association. It’s a shame that it’s not even that entertaining.
What we see is really a couple who have grown old together, becoming almost the same person, as couples often do. There is a beautiful rhythm to their actions that is a delight to watch.