MAGIZHCHI MOVIE REVIEW

Review by : Cinemimi Team

Starring: Gowthaman, Seeman, Prakash Raj, Anjali, Karthika
Direction: V Gowthaman
Music: Vidyasagar
Production: D Manivannan

Adapting novels into movies has been quite a frequent (not as much as we would like) practice in the film industry. But, the most common complaint that we come across with all such efforts is that the soul of the book was ultimately lost while translating it onto screen. But, Magizhchi is one effort that cannot be accused of


tampering with the original feel of the book that it has adapted. A screen version of acclaimed author Neelapathmanabhan’s Thalaimuraikal, Magizhchi is set in the rural folds of Tamil Nadu and tells the story of a family, focusing primarily on the brother-sister relationship while also spreading the attention of the viewer onto a variety of socio-economic issues of villages.

Two siblings; the sister being the elder, share an almost ideal relationship. Each other’s happiness means the world to the other and it is shown in many instances in the film that either of them would go to any lengths to keep the other happy. They grow up and soon the sister is wedded off with great hopes of having a good and happy life. But, what happens is quite on the contrary. She is subject to intense domestic drudgery; both physical and mental torture. At first we don’t understand the reason behind her husband’s behavior towards her; is it sheer male chauvinism or is there a more serious rift between them. That is what her brother tries to find out. Not much to our surprise; he finds out that his brother-in-law is being cruel and unreasonable towards his sister and there is something that he wants to be hidden from the society on the whole. But, the brother is not ready to sit around and watch his sister getting tortured and decides to put an end to this marriage which is causing only grief to everyone. But, his brother-n-law is not ready to give in all that easily and the ugly caste issue threatens to raise its head when a solution to all this seems in sight.

The first thing that we notice about Magizhchi is the simplicity and natural charm that it possesses. There has been absolutely no attempt to try and infuse anything artificial or extraneous into the script with the excuse of making it more ‘cinema friendly’. It is an honest adaptation of the book. It is definitely a throwback to the 80s kind of family drama with overbearing husbands and brother-sister sentiment all playing a part. But, if willing with an open mind; contemporary appeal can be found in this movie. It shows that male dominance and domestic violence are still a part of the social fabric; especially in rural India. The movie also highlights the economic backwardness of the villages; especially in portions where the bride’s father has to sell the land that he has tilled for years to get his daughter married. His grief and helplessness have been well portrayed. Also the fact that caste is still a major issue in the minds of the rural population is depicted in the movie; especially during the final portions. One of the portions of the movie that attracts most due to its novel and extremely simple narrative styles is the one where the grandmother is narrating an old fable to her grandchildren. The story is shown to us on screen in the form of sketches by Trotsky Marudhu. It is quite interesting to watch.

The director has managed to extract good performances out of almost everybody in the cast. The experienced hands like Prakash Raj and Sukumari walk through their roles with consummate ease and expertise. The actress who really impresses with her performance is Anjali. She is almost perfect as the young , a bit mischievous, village girl. Karthika, as the elder sister, is also very good, especially in portions where she gets tortured by her husband. Seeman delivers a dignified and typically sober performance while Sampath Raj makes an impact as the man who is trying to assert himself on his wife, but is in fact afraid deep inside that a truth about him might surface if he gives her too much freedom. The director Gauthaman, after focusing on everyone, seems to have overlooked himself just a little bit. One gets the feeling that he could have given himself a bit more attention.

Technically, Magizhchi is not a movie that demands much. But, the locations, bordering on Theni are a treat to watch and have been captured well on camera. Music by Vidhyasagar reiterates the fact that he is rightfully called melody king.

Magizhchi is a well made film about family relationships and social issues. However, it has its innate limitations in terms of being an entertainer. To the team’s credit, the movie has never aspired to be an entertainer that is out of the scope, the story permits. If you are the sentimental type whose idea of a village based film is not just ‘sickles and sevals’, then Magizhchi will make you happy.

Verdict: Faithful adaptation of a good literary work

KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SEY MOVIE REVIEW

Review by : Cinemimi Team
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and other revolutionaries
Direction: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music: Sohail Sen
Production: Ajay & Sanjeev Bijli and Sunitha Gowariker

The Chittagong Uprising is a relatively unknown episode in Indian history. Ashutosh Gowariker deserves a special word of appreciation for having chosen an inspiring story and presented it on screen. Though he has directed historical and periodic movies like Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar,



Swades remains his most patriotic movie thus far as it was a contemporary take on love for the country.

In KHJJS, a youngster asks his friend what Vande Maataram means. Though a few of them remain ignorant, one of them says "Vande Maataram... bolne me acha lagta hai na? (isn't it nice to say it?). This comes from the heart of a director, a person who realises that today's youngsters know more about Western history than ours. KHJJS is an adaptation of Manini Chatterjee's 'Do and Die'.

It is about Surjya Sen (Abhishek) and his aides who decide to attack the heart of the ruling British in Chittagong by planning simultaneous attacks in 5 places on April 18, 1930. By recruiting an army of revolutionaries, the attacks are made possible by shrewd planning. But little do they know that an obstacle awaits them at the time of the attacks. Do they succeed in their quest? What happens to Surjya Sen and his young group of associates who volunteered to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of India? Find the answers by watching the movie only in cinema halls!

Ashutosh is among a rare breed of directors who relentlessly gives us movies by digging our treasured history. Here again, he brings the charm of Chittagong in Goa through some meticulous research. Watch the end credits and you will know why! Since most of us are not aware or have read Manini Chatterjee's novel, it will not be prudent to judge if KHJJS is a pure adaptation. But one feels that Ashutosh slips a little with an incoherent screenplay, especially in the first half. What irks here is the postcard-perfect shots, whiter-than-white kurtas of the leads and well delivered stage-perfect dialogues. Though the art direction and detailing are perfect, you somehow fail to connect with the story.

The second half is gripping and definitely coveys what the director first set out to do. The intense struggle of the bravehearts, the British's carnivorous search for the revolutionaries and the eventual happenings make you sit up and move forward with the narrative. Music in such historical movies needs to be point perfect. Sohai Sen's music is too amateurish and does not appeal at all. It is often repetitive and fails to conjure our instincts.

Occurrences in the first half are very sporadic. Dilip Deo's editing could have been tight and slick. Dialogues again seem to be very common and something which does not evoke the right amount of patriotism. Scenes which involve Abhishek to ignite fire in the revolutionaries fall flat. If Deepika is called Kalpana in a scene, she is 'Kolpona' in the other. The characters also seem confused whether to speak Hindi or Bengali and hence the authenticity is missing here.

Cinematography by Kiran Deohans and Seetha Sandhiri are up to the mark. They bring the small village of Chittagong to life with their dynamic shots. Art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai must also be appreciated for his work. A lot of effort has been spent in research and to get the detailing in each shot right. Good job!

Performance-wise, Abhishek Bachchan is the biggest disappointment of the lot. With his sober expressions and sparkling-white kurta and dhotis, he cuts a sorry figure. He fails to show the fire in his eyes to ignite the passion in others. He seems happier to let others steal the show with their performances. A rather uninspiring leader! Deepika Padukone does well in the role given to her. But the stand-out performances come from the rest of the cast. Vishaka Singh as Pritilata is a revelation. The emotions she displays in her eyes are indeed nice. Sikhander Kher as Nirmal Sen steals our heart with his performance and so do Mahinder Singh, Shreyas Pandit and others. The young lads do a handsome job as the 'krantikaris'.

Overall, KHJJS could have been hard-hitting if it had a cohesive screenplay, inspiring music and compulsive dialogues. In spite of all this, the movie must be watched for one person: Ashutosh Gowariker. His tenacious passion for showcasing Indian history must be lauded. The way he ignites the passion in the second half definitely warrants a dekho.

Verdict: Salute the heroes, 80 years on! Vande Maataram.

THA MOVIE REVIEW

Review by : Cinemimi Team
Starring: Sri Hari, Nisha
Direction: RK Surya Prabhakar
Music: Sri Vijay
Production: Rajesh Uthaman

Just before a couple enters into marriage there are a thousand matters swarming around in their minds. Thaa explores the feelings and doubts of a couple as they get to know each other, develop affection and prepare to get married. It is more than just another regular love story.



The movie is about a young man doing a normal blue collar job in his hometown. Simple, shy and quite careless about his appearance; he just goes about his daily life as any other youngster would. His only social life is when he meets his group of friends who are quite unlike him. Yes, they have their jobs and do them responsibly, but they also show a very active interest in trying to woo girls of their choice; only the protagonist is an exception to all this, choosing to stay away from all matters related to love. Now, perhaps you would think that this is yet another story of masculine resistance being broken by one look at a beautiful girl; and violins begin playing in the west with sunshine in the background. But, that is where Thaa differs from regular love story that is part of cinema. The protagonist does have deep feelings inside him, the desire to find a girl for himself, but is really too much of an introvert to get on with it. And, as is the norm in all such cases, the parents step in and find a bride for their son. The twist happens here; the chosen girl holds a white collar job, is very sociable, sophisticated and looks upon the prospective groom as professionally, socially and personally incompatible. But, as the families have agreed upon the match, there is little she can do about it. What happens next? Does the girl agree reluctantly, does the marriage succeed or is there something else in store?

What could have ended up as just another love story does eventually manage to make a sort of impression because of the hint of reality and practicality that is thrown into the script. We have been used to seeing girls falling head over heels in love with heroes either after being impressed by their machismo and style, or by their ideals and bravado. But here, the reasons for which the heroine disapproves of the prospective groom appear to be taken out of real life; the financial differences, the professional gulf etc. Also convincing are the portions where the hero tries to win over the heroine’s heart. Here again there are no cinematic clichés like ‘saving the heroine from eve teasers’ or ‘masquerading as an idealist out to save society’ or ‘ramp walk Remo kind of stuff’. The hero tries very sincerely to establish a deep personal relationship with his bride to be. The film carries yet another twist in the form of the hero’s psyche which makes him think that what is happening is ‘too good to be true’.

Looking at the movie in totality, there are only a few turning points during the entire course of the narration. There are not many moments that make you sit up. It is rather plain viewing; but don’t mistake plain for bland; it is a good kind of plain. The slow forging of the relationship looks genuine, so does the internal turmoil of the hero’s mind which keep one connected to the characters. There is also the odd lively fun moment which involves the gang of friends, but not too many. Songs too have been sparsely used.

Almost the entire cast consists of fresh faces and to their credit they have done a fair job. The hero Sri Hari and heroine Nisha carry off the demands of their character well. There is not much of note on the technical front which is strictly okay. Debutante Sri Vijay has come up with a couple of hummable tunes.

Thaa is neither the family entertainer, nor is it the sugar coated love story. In fact, there is more of a mature relationship of understanding being formed than any romance happening on screen. That treatment puts Thaa on a different track from other love based subjects and director Shurya Prabakar deserves credit for adopting this treatment. A simple, self-contained film of a mature relationship and inner doubt!

Verdict: A different perspective of love