REWIND: The Actors of 2010 - II

Cinemimi [Thursday, January 13, 2011]
Coming to the final take, except for two established actors, it was a level field for the new comers. Most of them made the best of it and able to turn the spot light on them. Mahesh in Angadi Theru, Arulnidhi in Vamsam, Atharva in Baana Kathaadi are few who managed a career in Kollywood. Vimal of ‘Kalavani’ and Vidharth of ‘Mynaa’ are leading the race among new comers.

In the deciding section we are leaving Kamal Haasan out because a legend is always a legend. He was delight in ‘Manmadhan Ambu’ though the film was a let down. Kamal has gone past the rituals of annual discussions on films.

That leaves us with two stars. One is like Kamal beyond comparison and the other is like them, a new flavour liked by 6 to 60 in the family.


Suriya had just one film ‘Singam’ and it was out and out his film. You may argue the screenplay was racy, the heroine was beautiful and the songs were good and so on. But, ‘Singam’ was shouldered by Suriya every bit. His penchant for the Nellai dialect dialogue delivery, his masculine body language and his convincing style of performance as a tough cop are reasons for the universal success of the film we feel. Looking back we think nobody else could have done ‘Singam’ better than Suriya. That feeling speak volumes. Then also in ‘Ratha Charithiram’ Suriya proved he is a powerful actor to claim the Scepter of his predecessors.

That brings us to the actor of the year, who else but Rajinikanth. ’Endhiran’ too is a film that comfortably rested on the shoulders of its hero. Here not one but three and all of them the same. ‘Endhiran’ brought back the great actor in Rajinikanth we have been missing since the early eighties.

The price we paid as fans for his super stardom is something he himself will not be convinced with. ‘Endhiran’ was three decades of Rajini in one.

If Chitti was the lovable 90s, Vaseegaran was a satisfied at the top 2000s. Oh boy! Then the Breathtaking 80s was seen in Robot. Villainous and suave, menacing and encouraging, don’t want to win and want to win. That was an amazing mixture of feelings, Rajini’s performance in ‘Endhiran’ evoked.


Here too if not for Rajinikanth, the ‘Endhiran’ would have been only a few nuts and bolts made of nickel waiting for a scrap dealer. (Also remembered is the blitzkrieg marketing)

Adieu 2010. Welcome 2011. Irrespective of all things said and done Cinema, the Art is supreme. Dot.

Actors of 2010: Rajinikanth followed by Suriya at a distance.

Click here to read - REWIND: The Actors of 2010 - I

REWIND: The Actors of 2010 - I

Cinemimi[Wednesday, January 12, 2011]
Not in recent memory that you have seen all most all super star actors stumble in one year like you have seen in 2010. But it was also a great year that kept the spirits high with a lot of debutant actors promising a buoyant future for Tamil cinema.

The early months of 2010 left all suspicious about the coming months. Karthi, Dhanush, Sarath Kumar, Ajith, Vishal and others left everybody in a helpless situation. Even hugely expected films like ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’ and ‘Aasal’ shocked us.

Bur Karthi could salvage his pride with two big hits later in the year. ‘Paiyaa’ and ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ scored in every department and made Karthi another bankable star. Dhanush could not even do that. After ‘Kutti’ his other film of the year ‘Uthamaputhiran’ too melted away.

But Dhanush is going to start the New Year with a bang as ‘Aadukalam’ is the talk of the Pongal season. It was only with ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ an established actor struck gold first. Simbu got a remarkable image change over and the subtle performance in VTV has won him commercial and critical accolades.


Jeeva and Bharath too didn’t make an impact. ‘Kacheri Aaranbam’ and ‘Thambikku Intha Ooru’ both were non-starters. But they are still in the race as some genuinely anticipated films of them are releasing in 2011. ‘Ko’, ‘Singam Puli and Vanthaan Ventraan’ for Jeeva and ‘Vaanam’ for Bharath are expected to improve their stocks. It was ‘Thillalangadi’ time for Jayam Ravi too.

We still don’t want to call Vikram a failure in ‘Raavavan’ because he has proved his mettle beyond doubt before. But Vijay was far from his caliber. Perhaps the biggest disappointments of the year were ‘Ajith’ in ‘Aasal’ and Vijay in ‘Sura’.


Giants Bharathiraja and K Balachandar who made some of the greatest actors of Tamil cinema could not do it for themselves in ‘Rettaichuzhi’. The fate of actor Sundar C’s films sent him back to direction only. Karu. Palaniappan is still figuring out why he played the hero of ‘Mandhira Punnagai’. Mysskin in spite of all controversies and disagreements did put up a good show in ‘Nandalala’.

Among the seniors Sathyaraj had three films and the actor was missing in all of them. Arjun is seriously concerned about his future after his failures in Vande Matharam and Vallakottai. Vivek turned a hero in ‘Magane En Marumagane’ in vain. Karunas lost in the second race with’ Ambasamuthiram Ambani’.

Most of the young actors were able stir the waters but could not shake it. Shaam, Nanda and Karan still want to run the race. Even we wish them to. Jai got three while Vishu and Srikanth got two chances. Shantanu, Shakthi, Adhi and others have to try hard in the coming years.


Mirchi Shiva was called the Jim Carrey of south India failed to repeat the magic of ‘Thamizh Padam’ in ‘Va’. Arya was the hero of the two most successful films, Boss Engira Baskaran and Madraspatinam, but whether the films succeeded because of him is a question we don’t want to ask. For that matter except for the final two films mentioned at the end none of the films ran only for the actor and his performance.


Before we come to a conclusion it will be fair to look at the some actors who were not the heroes. Unfortunately only a few names like Prakash Raj in Singam, Prithviraj in Raavanan, Gajini in Sindhu Samaveli and Sethu in Mynaa crop up. Such was the dominance of heroes be it small, medium, large or extra large. Otherwise the only males who withstood the heroes’ dominance were the comedians. Here too there is only Santhanam in the list. Some even said he is a partially deciding factor at the box office.

REWIND: The Actresses of 2010

Cinemimi[Tuesday, January 11, 2011]
Actresses in Kollywood had come out strong in 2010. They have realized that glamour and skin show alone is not the route to the top but even show of talent will take them there. The most valued actresses of 2010 were serious performers and who dared to do thing differently.

Interestingly the much hyped or media built actresses were less popular than some new comers and who were just taking momentum in 2010. In the close to 150 films released in the year, over 70 new heroines were launched.


As said the ones who hit big time were the new comers. Tamannah who was thought to take the No. 1 position in 2010 had three releases. While ‘Paiyaa’ was a super hit the other ‘Sura’ was a super flop. So she doesn’t have any extra points. ‘Thillalangadi’ was a blooper. Anushka got back in ‘Singam’ what she lost in ‘Vettaikaran’. She seems to be the hot favourite of big heroes now.

Nayantara had a great year not just in Tamil but in all south Indian languages. She managed a super hit film in all languages and it is of more value as she did only that single film in that language. In Tamil ‘Bosss Engira Baskaran’ was a big hit. Losing the brilliant actress in marriage is one last thing the film industry wants now.

For Trisha, 2010 is perhaps her best year in Tamil so far. She did two films and she came out of that ‘ice maiden’ image with rocking performances in ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ and ‘Manmadhan Ambu’. At last, Trisha proved she is an actress and not only a star. We wish she continues to choose her future films as sensibly.


Talent power houses Sneha and Bhavana could have done better. Shriya, Meenakshi, Genelia, Namitha, Meera Jasmine likes have a lot to worry about. Aishwarya Rai was remembered in her both films irrespective of the other factors in the films. She stood out in ‘Raavanan’ and ‘Endhiran’.

Otherwise the year was for and of the new comers. Most of the new actresses launched in 2010 had substance in then and we wish them all a great future. Particularly Samantha in ‘Baana Kaathadi’, Amy Jackson in ‘Madraspattinam’ and Oviya in ‘Kalavani’ wowed the audiences more.

Talking about the best of 2010, there are two heroines who made the year theirs. Anjali and Amala Paul. Both are new comers who proved good looks must be complemented with good acting. They both turned their audiences with solid performances and became bright prospects for the coming years.

Anjali lived her role in ‘Angadi Theru’ so realistically that her other two ordinary films ‘Rettaichuzhi’ and ‘Magizhchi’ could not remove the sheen off her. Her award winning role of a sales girl in a ghettoized shopping mall who is spirited to love and live won her both critical and commercial acclaim.

The other sensation of 2010, Amal Paul was introduced in an ordinary film ‘Veerasekaran’. She went unnoticed. Then came ‘Sindhu Samaveli’ that made you focus on her in spite of the film’s contentious plot. Then came ‘Mynaa’ and she shot to fame. Her role as the simple village girl was credible and realistic and raised Amala, the actress from a virtually unknown actress to a name to be reckoned with.

If Anjali and Amala Paul are the heroines who made the difference, it is also compelling to mention a few actresses who were not the hero’s heroine but certainly gave their audiences a surprise by turning in solid performances and breaking the myth that only heroines will get noticed.



Susan George as the jailer’s obstinate wife gave a stunning performance in ‘Mynaa’. It was a small role but she made it memorable with her class act. Saranya in ‘Thenmerku Paruvakatru’ got the best recognition of all. She is a seasoned actress and will monopolize her kind of characters for longtime to come.

The last but not the least is Sangeetha who stole the show in ‘Manmadhan Ambu’. Sangeetha is one artiste who can shoulder a film and one who can be relied upon for any character however difficult.

With so much talent from the fairer side available, all we expect is to use them thoughtfully and give a new meaning to performance. We don’t expect a Savitri and Saritha or a Sri Priya and Sridevi to emerge. But if it happens we would be the first to laud them. We need a collective effort to make it happen if possible. From directors to script writers to the producers, all have a role.

Top 5 Actresses of 2010

Anjali

Amala Paul

Aishwarya Rai

Trisha

Saranya

COMING UP: The Actors of 2010

REWIND: The Directors of 2010 – Part II

Saran danced to the star tune and misjudged the audience with ‘Aasal’. SP Rajkumar gave Vijay his worst film in his career. Mithran Jawahar could not do any favour to Dhanush in both films this year. There were also some don’t-know-what-to-do directors in films like Moscovin Kaveri, Naane Ennul Illai etc. But the irony is these directors were immensely successful in their main career which of course was not direction.

There were also quite a few young directors who made their marks with quite impressive films. Badri Venkatesh in Baana Kathaadi, Meera Kathiravan in Aval Peyar Thamizharasi, Bandi Saroj Kumar in Porkalam, RK Surya Prabakar in Tha and Seenu Ramasamy is Thenmerku Paruvakatru are some people we feel should have deservingly got more glory that they got in 2010.

But the year 2010 clearly belong to five directors who are distinctively different in style and got their films their worthy appreciations out of sheer merits. Vasanthabalan, Shankar, Mysskin, Prabhu Solomon and Sargunam are the directors of 2010.

Vasanthabalan’s dark plot ‘Angadi Theru’ shocked the audience. There never believed there are ghettos behind the swanky malls of the city. After ‘Angadi Theru’, whoever visited the posh looking malls pause and took a deep look at the uniformed counter sales people and gave him or her considerate smile. The film achieved what social crusaders couldn’t.

Sargunam in ‘Kalavani’ surprised all by giving one of the biggest sleeper hits. Sargunam who was an assistant to ‘Madraspattinam’ Vijay was excellent in showing the sense and sensibility behind human relationships in ‘Kalavani’. A simple village love story and its implications on the surroundings were handled by Sargunam as no one did before. No wonder the all-India remake rights of ‘Kalavani’ was acquired by none other Gautham Menon.

Perhaps Shankar is the only veteran who could make his mark in 2010 and that too thumping. There may be many other reasons also for the Himalayan success of ‘Endhiran’. But, as the man who visualized the spectacle and executed it to perfection deserves praise and accolades. Rajinikanth and the special effects only made it even larger than life.


Prabhu Solomon after a decade of fight back came strongly with ‘Mynaa’. It is a captivating up country romance which stood far ahead of glamorous and illogical romances lead by super hero and his mannequin love. Prabhu Solomon looked everything perfect in this unpretentious love story. The cast, crew and the forces of nature dutifully played slaves to the creator Prabhu Solomon. Not many directors are fortunate enough.

Mysskin with his ‘Nandalala’ probably has raised the bar a few inches higher than usuual. His unconventional film about two sorrowful souls searching for their respective mother is a gripping tale not seen in recent times. Inspired or not Mysskin's creation, ‘Nandalala’ is an important film in the history of Tamil cinema.

One common point to contemplate in the movies of these directors, except for the Shankar, is that all the best films had to struggle to get their dues. None of the four films had ardent takers in the beginning. Another thing is that all these films had excellent in tandem support from the music director and cinematographer.

That talks a lot about real team work and its good effects. The formula to winning in spite of odds is here.

Top 5 Directors of 2010

Vasanthabalan for ‘Angadi Theru’

Prabhu Solomon for ‘Mynaa’

Mysskin for ‘Nandalala’

Sargunam for ‘Kalavani’

Shankar for ‘Endhiran’.

REWIND: The Directors of 2010 – Part I

Cinemimi[Thursday, January 06, 2011]
Directors are said to be the captains of their films and however talented they may be some times the winds overwhelm them and whisk away their cruises to another shore they were not proposed to hit. The same thing happened in Kollywood in 2010 with the directors. While some heartfelt efforts were received well some were forced out of mind too. While some detached direction created records there was enough variety particularly from the new comers.


In the process there were some new genre introduced for the first time in Tamil cinema, thanks to the brilliance of its directors. Debutante director Amudhan brought in a new genus called spoofing to the big screen with ‘Thamizh Padam’. Chimbudevan showcased cowboy comedy in ‘Irumbukottai Murattu Singam’ and Lingusamy did a road movie ‘Paiyaa’. What is more pleasing here is that all these three brave new attempts were lapped up by Tamil audience.

Then there were some directors who made a great film out of wafer thin stories with only there sheer talent. Here we insist on repeating the phrase “with only there sheer talent”. M Rajesh’s ‘Boss Engira Baskaran’ and Hari’s ‘Singam’ are thin storylines that were made big by the directors. Then Gautham Menon’s contemporary romance was sweet and refreshing yet without a strong story. But for Gautham’s brilliance ‘VTV’ would have been an ordinary fare



Suseendran, Vijay and Sasikumar managed to preserve their reputation as classy directors of never say die spirit with Naan Mahaan Alla, Madraspattinam and Easan respectively. Naan Mahaan Alla was an emotional action while Madraspattinam was a slick period film. Sasikumar returning after two years again chose a new milieu with a sharp dose of realism.



Among the rooted time-honoured directors many of them, except Shankar, were not in their proven elements. Mani Ratnam was surprisingly low in ‘Raavanan’. KS Ravikumar’s Jaggubai was down and out even before the release and Manmadhan Ambu was neither his film nor Kamal Haasan film. Selvaraghavan was forced to take more time for his next film after ‘Aayirathil Oruvan’. Karu Palaniappan could not cut ice even though his Mandhira Punnagai was rare and unusual.Veteran K Bhagyaraj in ‘Siddu Plus Two’ was far from the times of the day. None of his lucky factor in ‘Thillalagadi’ could help Jayam Raja, neither his Telugu script nor his Jayam Ravi.



Some promising faces in this department like Pushkar: Gayatri, Mithran Jawahar and Samy said they need more time to come back. Pushkar: Gayatri’s in ‘Va- Quarter Cutting’ and Samy in ‘Sindhu Samaveli’ could not live up even after the hype their films received. Mithran Jawahar’s both films with Dhanush – Kutty and Uthamaputhiran – were ordinary, clichéd and did not have much work for a director.