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Recent Reviews by Avinash Ramachandran
Indian Express

Avinash Ramachandran has been an entertainment journalist for over seven years now, specializing in the review of films, series, shorts, and documentaries. His primary focus is on South Indian cinema, although he also regularly engages with Hindi and English films, as well as occasionally exploring foreign films. He has written for The New Indian Express, South First, and is currently writing for The Indian Express.

Films reviewed on this Page

Vidaamuyarchi
Kudumbasthan
Kadhalikka Neramillai
Madha Gaja Raja
Game Changer
Rifle Club
Miss You
Bhairathi Ranagal
Kanguva
Matka

Vidaamuyarchi
Magizh Thirumeni moulds Ajith into a different kind of star in a different kind of a film

While Vidaamuyarchi revolves around Ajith, and he does a commendable job of dealing with anguish and perseverance, the film rides on the roles played by Arjun and Regena Cassandra.

Ajith Kumar’s Arjun isn’t a “hero” by any stretch of the imagination, especially in the Tamil cinema ecosystem. In fact, if the film wasn’t a gripping action drama, Arjun would have been a certified loser with nothing going for him. In fact, even in this movie, for a really long time, Arjun is never a facilitator of action, but just a responder to the consequence. And that’s what makes it all the more special because it is an action film featuring one of the biggest stars of Tamil cinema, and it features a star stripped of all his stardom… almost. Magizh Thirumeni takes the premise of the 1997 film, Breakdown, and remains largely faithful to the plot, giving it a few necessary changes to suit Indian sensibilities. And the most important change is in the relationship dynamics between Arjun and his wife Kayal (Trisha), which adds gravitas to this equation that drives large portions of the film. The movie starts off by establishing the romance between the couple and the gradual falling out that happens over years of marriage. We are shown glimpses of their journey, right from the first meet-cute to falling heads over heels in love to the first cracks in the relationship, and the seemingly irreparable ones. And point to Magizh and editor NB Srikanth for deciding to tell all these through two beautiful Anirudh Ravichander numbers to ensure the pacing isn’t sacrificed for showcasing the romance part.

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All 4 reviews of Vidaamuyarchi here

Kudumbasthan
Manikandan anchors this funny and familiar tale that needed a firmer grasp on things

The sketches in this Manikandan-starrer are laugh-out-loud funny mostly, but the film suffers from the sum of the parts not being greater than the whole.

Remember TVF breaking into the Hindi web series space during the OTT boom? While not on the similar scale, Nakkalites managed to do that in the Tamil space with their native, relatable, and well-performed sketches that boasted of decent production value, and strong content. Since all rivers in this part of the world have to flow into cinema, many actors from this setup managed to eke out a name for themselves on the big screen too. Now, its director Rajeshwar Kalisamy has come with Kudumbasthan, a film that reflects the ethos of Nakkalites, features actors from Nakkalites, has the same irreverent vibe of Nakkalites, and for what its worth, makes quite an impression.

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All 2 reviews of Kudumbasthan here

Kadhalikka Neramillai
Nithya Menen, Ravi Mohan shine bright in Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s warm and chic romcom

Powered by a terrific Nithya Menen and a brilliant Ravi Mohan, this is a simple, sensitive, and sensible film that accepts the flaws of its characters as par for the course.

Romcoms are all about the first time the leads meet. In 99 cases out of 100, we know what is going to happen to the leads when they cross paths for the first time. Whatever might happen between the first time they meet, and the closing credits start to roll, we know how their stories would end. So, why does this genre still have that allure? There is a joy in vicariously living a happily ever after through the lives of others, right? In Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s Kadhalikka Neramillai, these others are Shriya (Nithya Menen) and Siddharth (Ravi Mohan), and it is their story that we follow through different cities, different lives, and different timelines before it ends up like all good romcoms end up as… flawed, familiar, and frabjous. While Kadhalikka Neramillai definitely has the beats of staple Hollywood romcoms of the 90s and 00s, it has its antecedents in an even older Tamil film… K Bhagyaraj’s Mouna Geethangal (1981). In fact, this is an urban and updated version of the 44-year-old film, and there are enough upgrades in Kadhalikka Neramillai to make it more of a hat-tip rather than a full-blown remake. And each of these upgrades work perfectly in sync with the theme and treatment of the movie. Siddharth hates kids, but he loves the idea of romance. Shriya loves kids, and loves the idea of romance. And in between, there is Nirupama (TJ Bhanu), who loves the idea of romance and marriage, and is open to the idea of kids and a family.

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All 4 reviews of Kadhalikka Neramillai here

Madha Gaja Raja
Vishal, Santhanam power this Sundar C throwback to simpler yet sus times

The laughs keep on coming, and it is a terrific mix of nostalgia and wistful thinking about the times that were that makes us throw our weights behind this Vishal-Santhanam film, directed by Sundar C

When one looks at films that are over a decade old, it is but natural to see if it has aged well. Are the dialogues still relevant? Is the narrative still fresh? Have the actors and filmmaker evolved? In fact, many a time, it takes us back to the time we first saw it, and our response to it today is a reflection of our own evolution. But what if it is a movie that you never saw, and you are watching it for the first time a decade after it was made. What if it is a movie that no one saw because it didn’t release when it had to, and is finally hitting the screens 12 years later? Do you see it as a 2013 film? Do you see it as a 2025 film? That is the conundrum one finds themselves in while watching Sundar C’s long-delayed Madha Gaja Raja, which was supposed to hit screens for Pongal 2013, but a time traveler moved a chair somewhere in the past, and it saw the light of day for Pongal 2025.

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All 3 reviews of Madha Gaja Raja here

Game Changer
A riveting Ram Charan anchors a middling Shankar showreel that needed more upgrades

Despite the film blowing hot and cold with an erratic consistency, the Ram Charan-Shankar film is truly held together by consistently good performances

When one looks at Shankar’s filmography, it is interesting how his mind doesn’t gravitate towards the easiest way to elevate the hero. Almost all of his leading men could have been typical straightforward police officers who take on the system. But instead, he makes them a small-time entrepreneur moonlighting as a Robin Hood, a young lover fighting for his love, an old revolutionary who wants to eradicate corruption, a journalist who becomes the chief minister, an NRI who returns to his homeland to weed out societal ills, and even a robot. But never a cop.

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All 7 reviews of Game Changer here

Rifle Club
Aashiq Abu returns all guns blazing in this eclectic, explosive, and entertaining hunt

This Aashiq Abu film is like a Varathan on steroids, and it helps that the team didn't rely on someone with a superstar stature to be at the centre of things, and allows every actor to play a superstar character.

From the times of black-and-white, we have often seen a wife act coyly around her husband when sharing the news of their impending pregnancy. There is the bashful eyes, shy demeanour, and lines like the veiled “Now, I have to eat for two people” or the direct “There is a new entrant coming to the family” before breaking into a smile and a hug. In Aashiq Abu’s insanely entertaining Rifle Club, the sassy Sicily tells her husband Avaran, “Bring me the liver of the wild boar you are going to hunt. I heard it is good for pregnant women.” These are the kind of characters that inhabit the world created by Syam Pushkaran, Dileesh Karunakaran and Suhas. Characters who might seem like a weapon-wielding Addams Family to the rest of the world, but within their self-sufficient existence, this is the normal.

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All 3 reviews of Rifle Club here

Miss You
Ashika Ranganath, Siddharth anchor this predictable but palatable self-aware masala romcom

The Siddharth-Ashika Ranganath film definitely delivers by keeping the smiles coming even if the emotional connection goes missing for stretches of time.

There are two important meet-cutes in director N Rajasekhar’s third film, Miss You. One is when aspiring filmmaker Vasu (an effective Siddharth) looks at Subbulakshmi (a terrific Ashika Ranganath) during a protest for the right to wear a hijab. One is when aspiring filmmaker Vasu looks at Subbulakshmi acting all cutesy during a wedding event of a common friend. Both are template scenes that we have gotten used to seeing in innumerable Tamil films. It is a commentary on how our heroes fall in love with heroines only if they are either bold and confident or bubbly and cute. What about the women who are neither bold nor confident, neither bubbly nor cute? That’s exactly what Miss You wanted to talk about, but it has one big problem. Contrary to the film’s protagonist who wanted to tell a love story from the perspective of a woman, Miss You is firmly from the POV of the man.

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All 6 reviews of Miss You here

Bhairathi Ranagal
A fiery Shivarajkumar anchors Narthan’s Mufti prequel that needed to slow down

With so much care going into the elevation of the titular character played by Shivarajkumar, it is slightly disappointing that Narthan rushes through the last act

There can be no debate that the black dhoti and black shirt-wearing Shivarajkumar sitting on a wooden chair placed on an arid land is one of the more iconic images of recent Kannada cinema. It exuded silent power, and as always, the superstar knew that the greatest of style statements lies in its simplicity. The character of Bhairathi Ranagal from Mufti has since attained cult status for showcasing Shivarajkumar in a grounded yet gory avatar that beautifully balanced his stature, stardom, and age. So, when director Narthan, who made Mufti, decided to film a prequel to show the origin of Bhairathi Ranagal in the film titled Bhairathi Ranagal, one couldn’t help but be intrigued.

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All 3 reviews of Bhairathi Ranagal here

Kanguva
An earnest Suriya gives his all for a Siva film that doesn’t give him enough

Suriya-Siva's film revels in its familiarity, impresses in its visuals, but leaves a lot to be desired in the execution of it all.

Five villages — each having its own behaviour, its own problems, professions, and pursuits. It might sound like Black Panther, but we’ll get there later. There is a foreign invasion that threatens to disturb the status quo of the system. There is a hero who wants to do good by his land and his people, and there are external forces that won’t let him do this simple thing that heroes have been doing from time immemorial. There is a Game of Thrones-esque setting, in not just for claiming the top spot, but also in the overall look and feel. There is a timeline jump of almost 1000 years, and the way these two timelines come together is straight out of the SS Rajamouli playbook. Amidst all these familiar tropes lies Siva’s Kanguva that revels in its familiarity, impresses in its visuals, but leaves a lot to be desired in the execution of it all.

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All 10 reviews of Kanguva here

Matka
Varun Tej anchors a meandering film that says a lot but conveys little

Varun Tej is the epicentre of this sprawling saga that wants to be a lot but ends up becoming a middling shadow of what it could have been

A young boy comes to a new city. The city is unkind to him and his mother. He makes a promise that the city will know of his name… soon. A few years later, he goes on to make such a big name that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is forced to intervene. Then, the antagonists and the system decide to take on the one man who wanted to rule it all. This is the story of KGF. Incidentally, this is also the story of Varun Tej’s latest film, Matka.

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All 2 reviews of Matka here