Trisha Talks About PeTA

Mayilsamy introduces his son Anbu to media

Karthi and Ranjani Wedding Reception

Deiva Thiirumagal Team at Kamala Cinemas

Actress Anushka speaks about Deiva Thiirumagal

Actor Vishal at Avan Ivan Success Meet

Kanchana - Review

Cast	Raghava Lawrence, Lakshmi Rai, Sarathkumar, Kovai Sarala, Dharshini
Director	Raghava Lawrence
Story-Screenplay	Raghava Lawrence
Banner	Sri Thenandal Films
Producer	Ramanarayanan
Music	Thaman S.

When Lawrence decided to make a sequel to his blockbuster thriller Muni, expectation went sky high. Kanchana created headlines when veteran actor Sarathkumar was signed to play the role of a eunuch in the film (for the first time in his career). The film, which was supposed to grace theatres on July 15, was postponed due to Vikram's Deiva Thiirumgal. Kanchana was dubbed in Telugu by Bellamkonda Suresh and the film is rocking all over Andhra Pradesh with splendid collections.

Kanchana narrates the story of the energetic Raghava (Lawrence) who does everything that a mass hero does (bashing goons, mouthing punch dialogues, helping friends, etc.). But Raghava has a serious problem; after sunset he will not venture out from his home. Reason? He is afraid of ghosts! Another interesting fact is that Raghava sleeps along with his mother (Kovai Sarala) and doesn't stir out without her during nights. One day, while playing cricket with his friends, Raghava steps into a haunted land. After that, he develops some unusual traits like dressing up like a girl, applying turmeric (haldi) on his face, etc. Meanwhile, Raghava also falls in love with his sister-in-law's sister Priya (Lakshmi Rai), a top model in Bangalore.

Finally Raghava's family decides to take him to a dargah and the story of Kanchana unfolds there...

Choreographer-director Raghava Lawrence has done his part pretty well but at times he is loud. Also, in some scenes he reminds us of Superstar Rajinikanth. Lakshmi Rai is just a glamour doll in the film. Kovai Sarala and Dharini have meaty roles to perform. Sarathkumar impresses as a eunuch, a very bold attempt. After VTV, Babu Anthony is back to Kollywood with a powerful role. The rest of the star cast have also done their parts well.

The film's second half makes up for the slow pace in the first half. Music by Thaman is passable. Lawrence and Sarala have excelled with their comedy acts!

Actor Ravichandran is no more

 

Veteran actor Ravichandran, who was admitted at a private hospital in Chennai due to kidney ailment, passed away this evening. According to doctors, the 71 year old actor was in coma for the past few days and his condition worsened. He is survived by his wife Vimala and sons Balaji and Hamsavardhana. Ravichandran made his debut in 1964 with Sridhar's Kaadhalikka Neramillai, which was a runaway hit.


Latest-tamilmovies.blogspot.com offers its deep condolences to the actor's family.

Kamal Haasan honoured by IT Department

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan is a true perfectionist in reel and real life! He was recently honoured by the Income Tax Department for being a regular tax payer and a good citizen. Kamal was also the special guest at the 150 years celebration of the Income Tax Department. Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala was the chief guest for this function.

Kamal's Viswaroopam: Still hunting for a heroine?

 

Ever since Bollywood sensation Sonakshi Sinha opted out of Kamal Haasan's much hyped Viswaroopam due to prior commitments, the team is hunting for a suitable heroine. There are reports that Deepika Padukone might replace Sonakshi in Viswaroopam.

Isha Sharvani, one of Bollywood's best classical dancers, who is reportedly dating Indian bowler Zaheer Khan, will also play a pivotal role (as Kamal's sister) in the film. There are also reports that Priya Anand (of 180 fame) will also play a prominent role in this film. Apart from directing, Kamal has also penned the screenplay, dialogues and lyrics for Viswaroopam. Sources confirm that Viswaroopam will be a trilingual made simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. If all goes well, this will be the costliest Indian film ever made.

 The shoot of Viswaroopam is likely to be completed in 100 days across UK and Europe. Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy will score the music of Viswaroopam, produced by Telephoto Films and scheduled to release on November 7, 2011.

Khushbu's leg fractured

 

Veteran actress Khushbu suffered a severe injury during the shooting of her Malayalam film Mr. Marumagan in Kochi on Friday.

Sources said that the actress sustained a fracture on her left leg when a staircase set (erected for the movie) collapsed and she had a fall. She was rushed to hospital and doctors advised her two week's rest. The shooting was cancelled following the mishap.


Mr. Marumagan stars Dileep in the lead role. Khushbu plays the role of Dileep's mother-in-law.

A.R.Rahman foraying into film production

 

Oscar winning music maestro A.R. Rahman will soon foray into film production!

According to sources, the Madras mozart will establish a production house titled YM Movies and is planning to produce back-to-back films. It is learnt that his first production venture would be set in the backdrop of music. More details will be announced soon.

A source said that ARR has been dreaming of getting into film production for a long time, but his plan couldn't materialize due to his heavy load of assignments. However, he finally managed to find time for fulfilling his dream.

Joshi's daughter dies in car accident

 

Ace Malayalam director Joshi’s daughter Aishwarya (24), an IT professional working for Infosys in Chennai, died on Sunday night in a road accident at Mahabalippuram in Chennai. Two others travelling with her were also killed in the mishap when their car collided with a lorry while they were returning back home in Oorapakkam from their office in the Mahindra City at Chengalpet. They have been identified as Infosys employees Radhika (Thrippunithura) and Arjun (Thrissur). Two others (Ashwin and Yesudas) sustained serious injuries. In the impact, Aiswarya and Arjun died on the spot while Radhika died en route to hospital. Ashwin and Yesudas have been admitted to the Chengalpet Government Hospital.

Kanchana: All set to go

 

Guess what's the latest trend in Kollywood films? To have a gay character or transgender. After Bala's Avan Ivan, Lawrence's Kanchana is all set to follow the rule now. Interestingly, Lawrence and Sarathkumar will appear as transgenders in Kanchana, produced by Sri Thenandal Films. In this film, Lawrence plays the role of a young guy who is scared of ghosts. Lakshmi Rai plays a top model who is his sister-in-law's sister. The film is all set to grace theatres this Friday in more than 250 screens.


 Kanchana is a Tamil-Telugu bilingual and music is composed by Thaman.

Mankatha music by July end?

'

Yuvan Shankar Raja's much awaited tracks of Ajith's 50th film Mankatha are likely to be released by the end of this month. Director Venkat Prabhu has already released a single track  'Vilayaadu Mankatha' recently. Sony BMG has bagged the audio rights of Mankatha for a record price. This multi-starrer has Trisha, Arjun, Andrea, Lakshmi Rai, Vaibhav, Premji, Mahanth and Ashwin in prominent roles. The director has already confirmed that the film will grace theatres in August.


According to sources, Mankatha will have nine songs, of which three tracks will be used for promotional purposes. The film is produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri under Cloud Nine Movies banner.

Mankatha songs: More details

 

Yuvan Shankar Raja's single track 'Vilayadhu Mankatha' has already created waves in Kollywood. Now we bring you more updates on Mankatha songs!

The Mankatha track has seven tracks, including the 'Vilayadhu Mankatha' track and its remixed version. Then there is a duet sung by S.P. Charan and Bhavatharani. Yuvan has also composed a funky techno duet rendered by Krish and Suchitra, which is expected to rock the dance floors.

A Thala film is never complete without a mass song! So Mano, Premji, Haricharan, Tippu and Naveen have come together for the racy 'Machi open the bottle'. There is also a duet crooned by Madhushree and Yuvan, which is expected to be the pick of the album. And finally, there is one more track sung by Karthick, Vijay Yesudas and Anusha Durai Dayanidhi.

Looks like Yuvan is all set to rock with a beautiful mélange of techno, melody, duets and mass numbers. Stay tuned with us to know more about the Mankatha music launch!

Mankatha to hit screens in August: Alagiri

 

Contrary to earlier reports that the release of Thala Ajith's Mankatha has been postponed, producer Dayanidhi Alagiri has now confirmed that the film will grace theatres as scheduled in August. Music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja will be released soon. Meanwhile, Alagiri who has already watched the rough cut of the film, is highly impressed with the team's effort. "I've never seen Ajith saar in this kinda role... Never!!! Outstanding performance!" Alagiri tweeted.


Directed by Venkat Prabhu, the film also stars Trisha, Lakshmi Rai, Premji Amaren, Arjun and Vaibhav in prominent roles. Cloud Nine Movies has produced this action thriller which is rumoured to narrate the story of  match-fixing sagas in international cricket matches. Arjun will play the role of an investigative officer who takes up the task of exposing the bookies. Thala Ajith will play the role of a gambler; then the cat and mouse game begins. 

Rahman to produce films

 

Oscar award winning music composer A.R. Rahman is turning producer! The music wizard revealed that his maiden production venture will be a musical to be produced under his newly launched production company YM Movies.

About turning producer, he reportedly  said, "When we go to the theatres and end up seeing a bad film, we grumble about it for days. I realized that I could come up with something that the audience would love watching and I would enjoy doing too."

Rajinikanth Eager to return

 

According to latest reports, the shooting of superstar Rajinikanth's much awaited Rana, which was postponed due to his health condition, will resume in October. Rajinikanth returned home recently after spending nearly seven weeks in Singapore for treatment of kidney-related ailments. According to sources, Superstar, who is currently staying at an apartment in Alwarpet, is eager to begin his work for Rana. It is also said that Rajni is in constant touch with director Ravikumar and actress Deepika Padukone

Earlier, the Enthiran star arrived in his trademark style, waving to his fans gathered at the airport. Festoons, banners and posters had been put up by the fans along the roads leading to the airport. The 61-year-old actor left for Singapore on May 27 and was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital the next day. Rajinikanth was discharged from the hospital last month, but he continued to remain in the island nation for periodic check-ups and to get sufficient rest.

Soundarya Rajinikanth visits Tirumala

 

 Superstar Rajinikanth's younger daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth and her husband Ashwin Kumar visited the Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala on Sunday. The couple offered prayers to Lord Balaji for Rajni's good health. While talking to the press, Soundarya said that she visited the temple to thank God for the speedy recovery of her father.

Rajinikanth's dear friend Telugu actor Mohan Babu made the necessary arrangements for their darshan. Apart from that, Rajni Fans’ Association members in Tirupati presented them with shawls and mementos.
 

Suriya celebrates birthday with Maatraan team

 

Suriya celebrated his birthday yesterday on the sets of K.V. Anand's Maatraan, which has Kajal Aggarwal as the female lead. The film was launched in Chennai recently.

According to close sources, Suriya will be seen playing a unique role of Siamese twins. Suriya will be seen in a double role where both the characters that he plays will be conjoined and will eat, sleep and do every other job together. Ace comedian Vivek and Prakashraj will also play prominent roles in this film produced by Kalpathi S. Aghoram under AGS Entertainment banner. The technical team comprises Harris Jayaraj (music), S. Sounder Rajan (camera) and Anthony (editing). The film is expected to grace theatres in April/ May 2012.

Simbu's six pack look in Osthi?

 

Looks like the six-pack bug has hit actor Simbu too. According to sources, the actor is hitting the gym regularly to sport a six-pack abs for the cop look in his much-hyped Osthi (remake of Salman Khan's Bollywood blockbuster Dabangg), directed by Dharani. The film is produced by Mohan Apparao and T. Ramesh under Balaji Real Media banner.

For the first time, Simbu will play the role of a cop on screen in Osthi. Richa Gangopadhya will play the role of Rancho (made memorable by Sonakshi Sinha in Hindi). Jithan Ramesh will play the role of Simbu's brother in the film, which was originally played by Arbaaz Khan. Revathi will appear as Simbu's mother, while Sonu Sood will reprise his original role in the Tamil version. Gopinath will handle the camera and Thaman will compose music.

In this film, Simbu will also be experimenting with the Tirunelveli dialect. So will the Tamil version have a new 'Munni'? According to sources, the makers are on the lookout for a suitable actress to perform the item number with grace. There are reports that sexy siren Shriya may perform the chartbusting number

Aascar films to release Velayudham

 

Ilayathalapathy Vijay has already completed the shoot of his upcoming Velayudham directed by Jayam Raja. Bubbly Genelia and Hansika Motwani are the heroines. Vijay is currently busy with Shankar's Nanban, after which he is expected to team up with Seeman for Pagalvan. The latest buzz is that due to going over budge, producer Aascar Ravichandaran is finding it difficult to distribute the film. So Aascar films has decided to distribute the film under their banner.

There is widespread speculation that Velayudham is the remake of Nagarjuna's Telugu film Azad. Sony Music has bagged the music rights of Velayudham, composed by Vijay Anthony, for a whopping price.

Ajith begins Billa 2

 

Ajith's much awaited Billa 2, directed by Chakri Toleti (of Unnaipol Oruvan) went on floors at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad on Thursday. This prequel is produced under the banner of Wide Angle Creations (led by George Pious and Suresh Balaje, son of producer-actor K. Balaje, who produced the original Billa with Rajinikanth in 1980) and presented by Mumbai based Sunir Kheterpal, CEO of IN Entertainment (India) Limited, part of the Hinduja Group. Popular model Huma Qureshi, who has done ads for many leading brands, will play the love interest of David Billa in this film. Bollywood star Sudhanshu Pandey, Bruna Abdullah and Malayalam actor Manoj K. Jayan will play prominent roles in this film, made with a whopping budget of Rs. 35 crores.

 Billa 2's technical team includes cinematographer Hemant Chaturvedi, editor Sreekar Prasad and music director Yuvan Shankar Raja. Other details about the cast and crew will be finalized soon.

7aam Arivu music: Coming soon

The music of director A.R. Murugadoss' 7aam Arivu, which has Suriya and Shruti Haasan in the lead roles, will be launched in Chennai by the end of this month. The director is currently busy with the post production works. Confirming this news, music director Harris Jayaraj tweeted, "7aam Arivu will be launched by the end of the month!" The story is said to revolve around a time machine which is brought to India by a scientist. The film is also being dubbed in Hindi and Telugu.

7aam Arivu is a sci-fi thriller in which Suriya plays a triple role: a circus artist, Buddhist monk and a scientist. Vietnamese stunt actor Johnny Tri Nguyen will play the baddie. Ravi K. Chandran handles the camera.

Suriya Celebrates Birthday with Maatraan Team

Maatraan Movie Launch

Arulnidhi Celebrates Birthday with Mouna Guru Team

Ko - Review

Cast	Jiiva, Karthika, Ajmal Ameer, Piaa Bajpai, Prakashraj, Sona, Kota Srinivasa Rao
Director	K.V. Anand
Story	Subha
Screenplay	Anand, Subha
Music	Harris Jayaraj
Banner	Red Giants
Producer	Kumar Jayaraman
Cinematography	Richard Nathan
Editing	Anthony
Genre	Action/Thriller
Release Date	April 22, 2011
CBFC	U
Stunts	Peter Hein

Statutory warning: Ko is a blink-and-miss entertainer. Every single shot in the film (including the innovative title cards) is very important. So make sure to be at the theatre five minutes before the film begins and watch it only on the big screen.

After months of flashy trailers, ads and news reports, K.V. Anand's Ko has raised expectations almost to breaking point. The wait for Ko was too long and now, the final product is worth all that hype and expectations.

It’s not every day that you get to watch a political thriller with double-crosses, skilful tactics, mesmerizing visuals and a romantic story tossed in, without having to squirm or ending up with a headache. Ko’s screenplay does the trick – brilliantly choreographed stunts and gun firing sequences, cleverly planted twists at every nook and corner of the plot and some good music. Running a little more than two hours, Ko proves to be an absolute entertainer.

Who's in it?

After playing a double role in Singam Puli, Jiiva dons the role of a daring photo journalist Ashwin inKo. K.V. Anand returns to the silver screen as a director after the blockbuster Ayan. Karthika is Renuka, Ashwin's love interest and colleague. Ajmal Ameer is Vasanthan, a software engineer and aspiring politician. Piaa Bajpai plays a bubbly entertainment journalist Saro. The movie also has Jegan, Prakashraj, Sona and Bose Venkat in prominent roles.

Harris Jayaraj has composed the score with lyrics by Madhan Karky, Sricharan, Kapilan, Viveka and Pa. Vijay. The story and screenplay are by K.V. Anand and Subha. Ko is an RS Infotainment production released by Red Giant Movies.

What's it about?

Ko narrates a series of events in the life of courageous photo journalist Ashwin (Jiiva), who works for a leading newspaper. His presence of mind and daring attitude leads to many scoops. From a thrilling bank robbery to minority marriage to exposing Maoists, he has the knack and guts to capture anything on his camerad report it. Renuka and Saro work for the same organization.

Vasanthan (Ajmal), a software engineer, aspires to join politics and cleanse the corruption in society. Vasanthan has a small political party which consists of educated youths, including engineers, doctors and other graduates.

It's election time. And the fight is between Chief Minister Yogeswaran (Prakash Raj) and opposition leader Kota (Kota Sreenivasa Rao). After a series of events, Vasanth captures people's attention with the help of Ashwin and wins the election. But before you come to any conclusion, there is a big twist awaiting you! And considering the racy screenplay, we are not going to tell you anything more about the story.

The Performances

The film completely belongs to K.V. Anand and Jiiva. Rarely do we come across an actor who keeps reinventing himself in each movie and emerges successful each time. From Raam to SMS, we have seen Jiiva in various dimensions and shades. With Ko, Jiiva emerges as a perfect action hero material, both for the masses and classes. Jiiva has come out with a thumbs up performance; he is smart, stylish and intelligent. His introduction sequence (bike wheeling) and the climax fight scenes need special mention. Equally good is Ajmal Ameer's performance; director Anand has brought out his talents perfectly on screen. After  Anjathey, Ajmal comes out with yet another master class performance.

Debutant Karthika, daughter of yesteryear sensation Radha,  could not have asked for anything better than this. It is difficult to believe that this is her first film (in Tamil) and she is definitely here to stay and shine. The Jiiva-Karthika subtle romance track is enjoyable. The chemistry between them is great, thanks to Subha's dialogues and screenplay. Piaa has finally got her due in Kollywood; Ko can be easily rated as her best performance ever. Though the film doesn't have a separate comedy track, the screenplay compensates for it. Praksahraj, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Jegan and Sona play their parts perfectly.
Kudos to K.V. Anand for his perfect casting!
  
For Techie Lovers

When it comes to a K.V. Anand film, we surely expect it to be a visual treat and Ko does not disappoint. The film works due to Anand-Subha's  fresh and innovative handling of a wafer-thin story with some perfect twist and turns. The film has some striking visuals. Be it songs or action sequences, the cinematography keeps the viewer glued to the edge of their seats. Though the pace slows a bit in the second half (which has three songs), Anand compensates it with a thrilling climax.

Peter Hein's stunt choreography is on par with Hollywood. Harris Jayaraj's songs, especially 'Enamo Eedho' and 'Venpaniye' are sure hits. His gripping re-recording, including the rock band theme music that gets played during the stunt scenes, is worthy of praise. Cinematography Richard Nathan's genius is another major highlight of the film. His stunning visuals will surely leave you breathless, whether it is a daring fight scene or romantic songs. He is truly another K.V. Anand in the making!
Editing by Antony and art direction by Kiran deserve applause. Story and screenplay by K.V. Anand and Subha are a big plus with the unexpected twists and turns that keep happening throughout the movie. After the racy Ayan, Anand has pushed the envelope to the next level in Ko, Unlike Ayan, which was a neat entertainer, Ko comes with a solid message: Youth Politics.
 
The Special Song
 
If SRK and Farah Khan could do in Om Shanti Om, Anand and Jiiva have done it in Ko. Yes, we are talking about Harris Jayaraj's special number which has an array of Kollywood actors as special guests. Vijay Prakash, Tipu, Ranina Reddy, Priya Subramani and Solar Sai have rendered the much-awaited 'Aga Naga', which is a complete hiphop number with techno beats. Harris Jayaraj, Bharath, Tamannaah, Karthi, Suriya, Abbas, Krish, Rima Kalligal, Jayam Ravi, Shiva, Shakthi and Ganesh Venkatraman make special appearances in the song with the regular cast. Get ready to be bombarded by this song on all radio and TV channels, ring tones, clubs and discos!
 
THE VERDICT
 
Ko is a breezy, racy, fun ride entertainer that keeps you glued to your seats for the entire show. A perfect entertainer with a hard core message, we recommend Ko for this weekend, only on big screens!
Ko = King sized entertainer! Don't miss it!

Vaanam - Review

Cast	Silambarasan, Bharath, Anushka Shetty, Prakashraj, Saranya Ponvannan, Sonia Agarwal, Vega Tamotia, Santhanam, Jasmin Bhasin, Jayaprakash, Radha Ravi, Ravi Prakash, VTV Ganesh.
Director	Krish
Story-Screenplay	Krish
Dialogues	Kannan and Giri
Music	Yuvanshankar Raja
Cinematography	Nirav Shah
Editing	Anthony Gonsalves
Banner	VTV Productions, Magic Box Pictures
Producer	VTV Ganesh, R. Ganesh
Distributor	Cloud Nine Movies
CBFC	U/A
Choreography	Ahmed Khan, Gayathri Raguram
Stunt	Silva
Lyrics	Na.Muthukumar, Silambarasan
PRO	Johnson

Since couple of months, 'Evan Di Unna Pethan' was not just a song in Vaanam but it was a synonym for the movie and Silambarasan, to whom belongs the lyrics and voice credit. Vaanam is a remake of the Telugu movie Vedam, which turned out to be a mega hit of 2010. Director Radhakrishna, introduced in Tamil as Krish presents Vaanam, which shows the lives of five individuals, their needs, their desperation to achieve it and their destinies, which brings them together. Will they abandon their needs for others? Is it really a materialistic world we live in?

Cable Raja (Simbhu), a slum dweller in Chennai, who works in his neighborhood cable TV. Bharath (Bharath), a military brat from Bangalore, who aspires to be a rock star against his parent's wish. Saroja (Anushka), a sex worker in Andhra, who wants to flee her brothel to start her own. Hamid (Prakash Raj) from Coimbatore, who is in search of his younger brother, who had fled the communal riots. Revathi (Saranya) a weaver in Thoothukudi, who is neck deep in debt and penury.

Their desperations in life?

Cable Raja, pretending he is a wealthy, is in a relationship with a rich girl hoping he could get rich the smart way. The d-day arrives when the girl wants to introduce Cable Raja to her parents. The venue, a pomp new year eve party with an entry fee of Rs.40,000.  How can the poor Cable Raja afford the party?

Bharath walks out on his mother and leaves to Chennai to attend a rock concert, which he believes will give him the break, he has been longing for. His rock band drives to Chennai but gets a flat tyre on the way. When Bharath's friends leave to fix the tyre, he is left alone with his girlfriend on the lonely highway. A gang of ruffians encounter the couple, subdue Bharath and abduct with his girlfriend. How can he rescue her?

Saroja had reached the height of tolerance servicing her clients day in and day out. In the brothel, an abusive police inspector ravages her repeatedly. Saroja, along with her trans gendered friend, give a slip to the inspector and her madam, and flee to Chennai. Lusty men  are always on Saroja's trail. Will she be independent make a living for herself?

Hamid, his pregnant wife and younger brother get stuck in the middle of a radical right wing procession. They get viciously attacked and Hamid's wife suffers a miscarriage. An Inspector, who is also a right wing sympathizer, frees the attackers and insults Hamid for his religion. Humiliated and denied justice, Hamid's brother flees home. Hamid goes in search of his brother, who vowed he would fight back. Can Hamid find his brother and bring him home?

Struggling weavers Revathi and her father-in-law owe Rs.40,000 to a loan shark. Their only hope in life is Revathi's son, who is a topper in academics. When the loan goes unpaid. the loan shark takes away Revathi's son and puts him on bonded labour in a salt pan. With no other way to give her son an education, Revathi decides to sell her kidney through a broker, who brings her to a doctor. The sincere doctor, suspecting a commercial kidney transplant turns down Revathi. Can Revathi sell her kidney to manage the money, which would grant her child's freedom?

Vaanam's first half brings you to this edge of the seat situation. What would happen if these individuals' struggling lives overlap? That is revealed in one of the most fast phased scenes ever seen in Kollywood.
Director Krish hasn't just got a new name in Kollywood, but had earned a velvet seat too. The story, screenplay and appealing editing is bolted tight, with not the slightest of space for flaws. Five stories within one, which are edited with equal importance and flow to all the characters is Anthony Gonsalves' magic. Nirav Shah's camera quickly adapts to dusty villages to crowded slums to posh dance floors with ease. Cinematography in the thrilling climax scene, along with Yuvanshankar Raja's heart thumping music is a huge bonus. Cable Raja is Simbhu's best role till date. He had abandoned his cliched' young guy image, and had lived the character and its emotions. We opine, last decade was Simbhu's honeymoon phase in Kollywood, some demanding roles are headed the actor's way henceforth.

Santhanam as Tan- tana-tan Cheenu has repeated the partnership he offered with Arya and Karthee, in Boss Engira Baskaran and Siruthai. Anushka as the mirchi hot sex worker is too hot to handle this summer. Vaanam's first half is reserved for 'Evan Di Unna Pethan', the rest of the songs perfectly swing with the moods on screen. Saranya as the impoverished weaver is the poignant face of our struggling farmers and artisans in rural India. Her tale throws light on the atrocious bonded labour widely prevalent in our country. Happy go lucky Cable Raja, throughout his escapades says “Enna Vazhka Da” (What a life!). We saw, wow, what an entertainer!

Engeyum Kaadhal - Review

Cast	Jayam Ravi, Hansika Motwani, Suman, Raju Sundaram, Marion Arnaud and Aurélien Chevallier
Director	Prabhu Deva
Producer	Kalpathi S. Aghoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh and Kalpathi S. Suresh
Story - Screenplay	Prabhu Deva, A. C. Mugil, Ravi Chakravarthy, Jayakannan, Premsai
Music	Harris Jayaraj
Cinematography	Nirav Shah
Production	AGS Entertainment
Banner	Sun Pictures
Genre	Romance
CBFC	U
Release Date	May.6.2011

How far can you go to achieve your love? This is the basic crux of Prabhu Deva's Engeyum Kaadhal,which has Jayam Ravi and Hansika Motwani in the lead roles. Romance is one genre that never fails in Tamil Cinema and it has been a while since we came across a full fledged romantic entertainer. This film has been making headlines ever since its launch, first for its title and then for the mesmerizing music by Harris Jayaraj, which is already topping the charts. The film is produced by Kalpathi S. Aghoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh and Kalpathi S. Suresh under AGS Entertainment banner. Sun Pictures has acquired the release rights of the film.

Who is in it?

Interestingly the film doesn't have too many characters. Engeyum Kaadhal mainly revolves around the lead pair Jayam Ravi and Hansika Motwani. The film is about a hard working, stylish young industrialist Kamal (Jayam Ravi) who goes on a month's vacation to Paris every year.
Then we have the bubbly Kayal (Hansika), a Indian girl brought up in France and finally, we have Kayal's father Rajasekhar (Suman) who runs a detective agency.

THE PLOT

Kamal, a young billionaire, doesn't believe in love; his philosophy is simple: No love, no commitments = No disappointments. He works hard for 11 months and takes a month's break from all the work related commitments. Cute violinist Kayalvizhi alias Kayal believes in true love and is highly fascinated with Indian culture. Kayal's father Rajasekhar runs a small detective agency in France and Kayal often reads her father's case files for interesting stories.

One day, Rajasekhar gets a new client (Sonu Gates) who wants to know about his girlfriend's mystery man. After a brief investigation, Rajasekhar finds that his client's girl friend is currently dating Kamal. Sonu gets angry and decides to kill his girlfriend and Kamal. Kayal overhears the conversation and deciding to save them, rushes to their hotel. There she bumps into Kamal and it's love at first sight for her. After a few initial encounters, Kayal learns that Kamal doesn't believe in love but she still tries to impress him. After a month, Kamal leaves France and Kayal is heartbroken.
Days pass by. After almost an year, they meet again in Paris. But this time, Kayal has new plans for Kamal! Watch out for Engeyum Kaadhal for more!

Caution: A dramatic climax awaits you!

THE PERFORMANCE

Jayam Ravi has lost weight and looks stylish on screen. Known for his chocolate boy image, he excels in this romantic entertainer. Engeyum Kaadhal is definitely his cup of tea. Hansika Motwani is perfect for the role; however, she has to learn the language to get the lip sync right. Kudos to her dubbing artist for delivering the dialogues perfectly. Suman as Hansika's father is perfect on screen and as usual, his experience speaks. Raju Sundaram successfully provides the much-needed comedy factor. His slapstick comedy act in some scenes is hilarious. Prakashraj appear in a blink-and-miss cameo which is an unwanted intrusion.

THE TECHNIQUES

First, Engeyum Kaadhal breaks the regular jinx of a boy falling for the girl. In this film, it is the other way round. Right from the start of the film, Prabhu Deva assured his fans this would be a feel-good entertainer and he delivers. A perfect first half, an emotional second half with a dramatic climax, that is Engeyum Kaadhal for you. Cinematographer Nirav Shah is the true star of this film; his lens has captured the true beauty of Paris perfectly. Anthony's sleek editing and Nagu's perfect art works need special mention. Harris Jayaraj's music, which is already topping the charts, has been picturised well. However, certain tunes reminds us some of his earlier compositions. Kudos to the costume designer for the brilliant colour combinations (especially for Hansika).

THE VERDICT

Overall, Prabhu Deva's Engeyum Kaadhal is a cool breezy entertainer perfect for this hot summer. It's love every where!

Kandaen - Review

Cast Shanthanu, Rashmi Gautham, Santhanam, Vijayakumar, Ashish Vidyarthi Director A.C. Mugil Story A.C. Mugil Music Director Vijay Ebenezer Cinematographer Prashanth D Art S.M. Anand Producer TCS Banner Sri Sivaselvanayakiamman Movies

Romance is one genre that manages to create an impact always, whether in Hollywood, Bollywood or Kollywood. The latest to join the list is Shanthanu's Kandaen, written and directed by A.C. Mugil (who assisted Prabhu Deva in Pokkiri and Engeyum Kaadhal). The film is produced by TCS under Sri Sivaselvanayakiamman Movies banner.

THE PLOT

Kandaen has a simple story line; Vasanth (Shanthanu, earlier spelt as Shantanoo) is an IT graduate who works for a leading MNC. His doting grandfather (Vijayakumar) suddenly arranges his marriage with his friend's daughter. To escape from the wedding, Vasanth bluffs to his grandfather that he is in love with a girl in Chennai. His shocked grandfather finally gives him one month's time; within this period Vasanth has to comvince the girl's parents or Vasanth has to accept his grandfather's decision.

And thus begins Vasanth's journey to find his love. At this point, Vasanth meets Narmatha (Rashmi Gautham) in a temple. She is the daughter of City Police Commissioner (Ashish Vidyarthi). Namratha is a social activist and has a soft corner for blind people. Knowing this, Vasanth acts as a blind man before Narmatha and tries to woo her. After a point, both fall in love with each other but Narmatha's father is against this relationship. Narmatha and Vasanth decide to opt for a registered marriage with the help of their friends, but moments before the marriage, Vasanth's secret is revealed! Will Namratha turn a Nelson's eye to Vasanth's cheating her by pretending to be blind? Will they get married? Watch out for Kandaen.

THE PERFORMANCE

This is Shanthanu's third outing in Kollywood and his performance gets better day by day. He looks perfect for the role and his rapport with Santhanam is rib-tickling. One of the major highlights of the film is Santhanam's comedy, especially in the second half. Rashmi Gautham has given a neat performance in her debut flick. Director Mugil's sense of comedy and the simple narration is an added advantage.
Music by Vijay Ebenezer (released by Photon Kathaas) is cool and breezy; cinematographer Prashanth D' Misale's beautiful camera works needs a special mention. However, a couple of songs could have been deleted to improve the pace of the film.