Hello hello! Thank you for taking an interest in my work. In this page, you’ll see everything I’ve ever written. That might be a handful, so tread carefully. 🙂
-
Kasada Tabara movie review: An enjoyable anthology with flawed, real characters
Chimbu Devan’s biggest success in Kasada Tabara is the people with who he populates his film. We understand his world, even feel like we belong in it.
-
Boomika movie review: Aishwarya Rajesh, director Rathindran R Prasad’s eco-horror feature is a tropey affair
All said and screamed, Boomika is a tepid film, which invokes neither fear nor feeling. We’re neither left with the satisfaction of being scared to our bone, nor do we leave purposefully towards being more sustainable.
-
Netrikann movie review: Thriller, starring Nayanthara, is an engaging story of underdogs but offers few surprises
The best part of Netrikann was how Nayanthara as Durga never loses her vulnerability. Every time there is a ‘mass’ moment for Nayanthara, it’s quickly followed by a grounding event for Durga.
-
Navarasa review: Netflix Tamil anthology is a mixed bag of few watchable, some problematic, mostly banal stories
From irritatingly self-referential and boringly stale shorts, unpleasant surprises to heartening narratives, Mani Ratnam’s Tamil anthology is a sum total of its disparate parts.
-
Thittam Irandu movie review: Vignesh Karthick aims to deliver an important social message but gets it awfully jumbled
The only thing going for Thittam Irandu is that it holds up the suspense until the final reveal. The final reveal, however, is a monstrous disappointment.
-
Sarpatta Parambarai movie review: Arya, Pa Ranjith create a layered drama that captures rhythms of the sports genre
Pa Ranjith straddles his roles as a storyteller and an anthropologist with precision. This film certainly packs a punch.
-
Vaazhl movie review: Arun Prabhu Purushothaman’s film lacks self-awareness, engages only with romanticised idea of nature
Vaazhl falls especially flat when it suddenly takes itself seriously in the second half
-
Jagame Thanthiram movie review: Dhanush, Kartik Subbaraj gangster film is confused, self-indulgent, inconsiderate
The film cannot make up its mind between being an empathetic story about xenophobia or a mass gangsta film about a borderline psychopath.
-
November Story review: Tamannaah fails to hit the mark in Indhra Subramanian’s clever web series
November Story is an excellent entry into the pure-play murder mystery genre, but fails to deliver a satisfying pay-off.
-
Serial Chiller: The Kid Detective, a murder mystery about adulting
The Kid Detective serves the horrors and mundaneness of everyday life in equal measure — it’s up to you what you’re drawn to.
-
With unapologetic entertainers, KV Anand rescued audience from drudgery of everyday life
There are only two ways to read KV Anand’s work — you either suspend the last shred of disbelief and let yourself have a ball or be the pedant who stays dissatisfied. There is nothing in between.
-
Paramapadham Vilayattu movie review: Trisha thriller loses plot to predictability, leaving us to a boring fare
Paramapadham Vilayattu’s plot and the politics is excruciatingly stale, making it barely watchable.
-
We’ve All Laughed At Yogi Babu, the Tamil Comedian. It’s Time to Applaud for Yogi Babu, the Actor
Since his debut in 2009, Tamil comedian Yogi Babu has built for himself a filmography most of which relied disproportionately on jibes about his appearance. This is why 2021 is an important year for him. In Mandela and Karnan, he explores roles he’s never done before and seals his place as an actor who can…
-
Karnan movie review: Dhanush, Mari Selvaraj deliver an audacious film about a community’s fight for dignity
Mari Selvaraj takes a giant leap with Karnan, arguably more gut-wrenching and bold in its messaging than Pariyerum Perumal.
-
Mandela movie review: Madonne Ashwin’s film is a balcony view of the darkly amusing times we live in
Against the backdrop of the upcoming assembly elections, Mandela is a film that will remind us of our priorities. It will encourage us to think about our rights as people and our power when we’re together.
-
Anbirkiniyal movie review: Keerthy Pandian shines in this chilling, satisfying film featuring vignettes of urban life
Anbirkiniyal is a delightful story of a survivor, one which offers hope that with a little effort, all can be good in the world.
-
Sulthan movie review: Karthi’s film suffers from confused messaging with a dash of masala
Without a strong moral core, Sulthan neither evokes empathy nor inspires respect for what the film’s protagonist stands for.
-
Teddy movie review: Novel premise aside, director Shakti Soundar Rajan’s film has little going for it
For a thriller, it offers no real thrills. For a comedy, the jokes don’t land. For a fantasy film, it is unimaginative. Overall, it’s barely watchable.