Member Reviews

Director Mari Selvaraj, on several occasions, called ‘Vaazhai’ his best film. He stated that it was the film he wanted to make first, before ‘Pariyerum Perumal’, ‘Karnan’ and ‘Maamannan’. ‘Vaazhai’ is a biographical film that explores a significant incident that changed Mari’s life. Mari is absolutely right, as ‘Vaazhai’ is his career-best film and a perfect answer to the trolls that targeted him. Sivanaindhan (Ponvel), with his charismatic and innocent smile, lives with his mother (Janaki) and elder sister Vembu (Dhivya Duraisamy). Sivanaindhan juggles between school and working at a banana plantation over weekends to make ends meet. He excels at school, consistently achieving first rank, but he does not enjoy working at the plantation for obvious reasons. The strenuous labour and the way he’s ripped off of his childish joys take a toll on him. But, Sivanaindhan understands.

Director PS Vinothraj announced his arrival in Tamil cinema with ‘Koozhangal’, a film which won the coveted Tiger Award at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam. His second film, ‘Kottukkaali’, brings together Anna Ben and Soori for the first time and has already garnered appreciation in the international market. Now, Kottukkaali is set to make its mark in the Indian market. Meena (Anna Ben) is confined to her home, with everyone around her speaking in hushed tones. She refuses to speak and appears distressed. Her relatives claim that she is possessed by a spirit. Meena, her mother, her fiance Pandi (Soori), and others embark on a journey to a temple to ward off the evil.

Director Pa Ranjith is one filmmaker with a powerful voice in Tamil cinema. Whether one agrees or not, his voice is significant and cannot be ignored. When he announced his collaboration with actor Chiyaan Vikram in 2021, it excited many. And the excitement grew multifold over the years and became one of the most anticipated films of 2024. Did ‘Thangalaan’ manage to fulfil the expectations? Let’s find out! Thangalaan (Chiyaan Vikram), Gangamma (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and their five children live in North Arcot where they rely on agriculture. However, their land is grabbed by the upper-class landlord using deceitful tactics. In the 1800s, Lord Clement, a British General, expressed his desire to trace gold near their village. However, a local myth claims that the sorceress Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan), guards the area. Thangalaan and the rest of the villagers believe in the myth.

When Keerthy Suresh’s teaser and trailer for Raghuthatha were released on social media, they generated a positive buzz around the film. The intriguingly cut trailer suggested that the film would address Hindi imposition in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, Kayavizhi’s (Keerthy Suresh) attempt to challenge patriarchy with her bold and upfront attitude piqued everyone’s interest. Did Suman Kumar manage to weave a successful story around these two sensitive topics? Let’s find out! Kayal (Keerthy Suresh) and her grandfather (MS Bhaskar) protest against Hindi imposition and are responsible for shutting down the Hindi organisation Ekta Sabha in their village, Valluvanpettai. She is a feminist who slams everyone who says, “ponna adaka odukama iru” (Be coy and obedient like a woman). One day, her grandfather’s cancer diagnosis and his three wishes push her towards marriage, which she has never been interested in.

Neighbour duo Lolita (Debchandrima Singha Roy) and Shekhar (Gourav Chakrabarty) have unending claim on each other. Despite a marriage in haste, they parted ways because of Shekhar’s prejudices and Lolita’s pride. In Parineeta, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay’s classic takes a makeover in Aditi Roy’s series on Hoichoi.

What sort of a spy movie is Sudhanshu Saria’s Ulajh? It begins as a Raazi (2018) in pantsuits: patriotic female protagonist, driven by loyalty and legacy, enlists to serve her country on foreign turf. Indo-Pak diplomatic relations, as fraught and fragile as they were in 1971, inform the narrative stakes. Both films hail from Junglee Pictures, and the editor, in each case, is Nitin Baid. If that weren’t enough, the new film even has a song with ‘watan’ in its title — plastered, ineffectually, over the opening credits and thereby fast forgotten.

Gyaarah Gyaarah, out on ZEE5 and adapted from the Korean series Signal, is a time-warping thriller of the dour, soulless kind. Tumbling across timelines, director Umesh Bist always makes sure to hold his audience’s hand. Bland letters appear on screen to indicate the precise date, year, location. Lest we lose our bearings, the pop-culture references are even more plain: Dil for 1990, Kapoor & Sons for 2016. This is a fairly unimaginative way to summon a period, to evoke a mood. It’s unlike the scene in Back to the Future where Doc in the 1950s exclaims to Marty, who’s traveled back from the 80s, “Ronald Reagan! The actor?! Then who’s vice president? Jerry Lewis?”

‘South Queen’ Trisha Krishnan forayed into OTT with the Telugu web series, ‘Brinda’, directed by Surya Manoj Vangala. While the web series started premiering on SonyLIV on August 2, there have been low-key promotions for whatever reason. At a time when there are many web series on multiple platforms, ‘Brinda’ stands apart. This is truly one of the web shows that deserves more promotion. Brinda (Trisha Krishnan) is a newly appointed sub-inspector, who is moody and hardly gets treated as equals at the police station. She goes to work, struggles to sleep and is quite smart. When her superiors, including Sarathi (Ravindra Vijay), want to close a murder case as suicide, she smartly points out that it’s a murder. This smart work lands her in trouble as her boss always tries to put her in place because she’s a woman. But Brinda is someone who will not take it with a pinch of salt. She teaches him a lesson.

Around halfway of the second episode of the latest season of The Test, drama erupts. English batter Jonny Bairstow ducks a bouncer, the ball goes to the keeper and the batter walks out of the crease. Pretty much a normal thing that happens during a Test match, you’d think. But there’s tense music in the background, almost like you know something is going to happen.

‘Raayan’ is a special milestone in Dhanush’s career. It marks his 50th film as an actor and his second film as a director (after ‘Pa Paandi’). For his 50th film, he donned the hat of a director, actor and writer. Has he exceeded the second time as a filmmaker with ‘Raayan’? Let’s find out! Kathavarayan aka Raayan is forced to take care of his two brothers and toddler sister after their parents vanish for two days. This marks the beginning of Raayan’s struggle. His motto is to survive in this cruel world. He fears no one, not even death. Raayan, along with his siblings, escape grave danger from their village and land in North Madras, where they find a home.