You know what to expect when there is the firecracker Santhanam and the rather unsuspectingly coy looking Arya in the scheme of things. Absolute time pass without a doubt. Riding high on his SMS feat (or so he assumes since the promos of Boss… had highlighted his earlier movie so as to give Boss the required push), Boss must have been a piece of cake for director Rajesh. He keeps his promise - comical relief - and the rest of the movie’s features, other than the dialogues, are really of insignificant nature, which could prove to be a toss-up.

A good start is half the job done and Rajesh seems to have concentrated real hard on the dialogues. As a result, the hollow screenplay is tactfully saved from plunging into the depths of action-less monotony. Although the movie stretches itself without any effort by the sheer success of the dialogues, Santhanam’s spontaneity stands out in the process and it renders the movie a definite thrust.

Arya is an innocuous young man who is also spoilt. He’s not loose cannon but thanks to his mother’s unhindered love, he slacks in his studies reappearing in exams after arrear exams without any demonstrated success. His brother, played by Subbu Panju - Panju Arunachalam’s son, earns enough to run the family and hence Arya needs only half a reason to take advantage of the situation. He eventually falls for the cupid’s bait and falls hook, line and sinker for Nayan – sister of his newly married brother’s wife.

But to ask Nayan’s hand in marriage, he needs to prove himself in life. So begins Arya’s journey for the greater good – his own wedding.
As is evident from the storyline, the movie has no scope for interesting twists to keep the viewer engaged for the most part. So the deficit is compensated in the name of dialogues and interesting comical sequences. Sample this: Arya walks out of his home after being reprimanded by his brother. It rains outside and while Arya walks away, his brother brings an umbrella. Arya, in the hope that his brother is coming to get him home, refuses to go home. On the other hand, his brother tells him, “Don’t come back home for the lack of an umbrella. Here it is.” Scenes like this do work and keep the narrative from sagging.
The smoky eyed Arya is at ease with himself and if not for his recurrent toothy smile, he risks looking doped. The once exuberant Nayan looks overworked and dead beat. But she makes it up in the song sequences, particularly in the songs Yaar Antha Penthan and Mama Mama. Speaking of which, Yuvan’s those two songs stand out while the rest are passé.

Santhanam is a riot and if there’s a full paisa vasool feeling after you watch this movie, attribute it to him. His wisecracks, one-liners with and without intended puns and the constant ‘Nanbenda’ are takeaways in what would have otherwise been a bland fare of mushy romance. Not many jokes in this fare fall flat, which shows the good writing.
Director Rajesh might just pull it off this time too because he’s got everything right for a comic caper. He also efficiently camouflages the saggy little portions in both the halves of his movie with crisply written dialogues. Perfect for a weekend in which you decide not to give your brain much work.
Verdict – Comedy is the boss!

Director Suseendiran proved his prowess as a fine director handling a not so popular sport like Kabbadi in his very first outing Vennilla Kabbadi Kuzhu with village milieu. He does a complete volte face in Naan Mahaan Alla with an urban subject which makes you laugh your heart out in the first half and pushes you to the edge of the seat in the second half.

Karthi (Jeeva) is a happy go lucky young man waiting for a job, not that he is serious about it. He is fun loving exuding positivity always and is popular in his circle. He has a doting family; dad (Jayaprakash) a call taxi driver, a house wife mother (Lakshmi Ramakrishnan), and a younger sister. Jeeva’s life revolves around his family and friends. He meets Priya (Kajal Agarwal) in his friend Sudha’s (a neat portrayal from Neelima) wedding and falls for her. He expresses himself to her in an interesting manner and the ways of wooing are lively and enjoyable.
When he seeks Priya’s hand in marriage, her father (Ravi Prakash) does not approve of this and averts to a local dada to dissuade Jeeva. The ensuing events are the most unexpected ones for Priya’s dad and for the audience. When life seems to go on a straight track for Jeeva, in comes a thud in the form of his dad’s scripted accident and the unhappy turn of events from that point which leads and culminates into a riveting climax.
It is Karthi, Karthi and Karthi all the way who monopolizes the film in every frame. The growth of this young actor is palpable in every shot. The mischievous twitch in the lips and a twinkle in the eye when trying to woo the heroine are a few examples. Bhaskar Sakthi’s realistic one liners and retorts come in handy and color the film in bright hue. In Paiyaa we saw Karthi getting out of the garb of Paruthi Veeran. In NMA he is just the adorable live wire boy next door who floors you with his optimism, bonhomie and comic timing in right proportion.
Kajal Agarwal does not have much to perform but does her part adequately. Jayaprakash as Karthi’s dad is efficient and the subtle gestures suggesting his love and understanding of his son are a treat to watch. The Royapuram dada makes a noticeable performance. The boy with big eyes in the villain gang is quite menacing with his aggressive demeanor.
The conversation between Karthi and Kajal over phone and their subsequent meeting clearly indicate the lively contemporary times between lovers. Same goes for Karthi’s interaction with his friends. The scene involving his boss at the liquor shop is one more example of Karthi scoring in comedy department.
Suseendiran has dichotomized the mood of the film clearly and a touch of levity runs through the first half while seriousness pervades the second half. Credible characterization and a fairly neat screenplay are the positive components in NMA. He has not veered from the subject and if at all something slows down the momentum, it is the Deivam Illai number in the second half. The bringing in of villains and fusing them at the right place is interesting. A few sequences could have been pruned which could have given a complete feel to the film.
Yuvan does a neat job in the music department and Iragai Pole’s picturization is appreciable. Vaa Vaa Nilavai Pidichu has Karthi trying out a few dance steps. In the second half, Yuvan’s RR work dominates and steers the film ahead. Rajeevan’s art work is hardly visible which only goes on to reiterate his success in his job. Interestingly he appears in a small cameo. Madhie behind the camera conveys the mood of the film through his apt lighting. The climax fight choreographed by Anal Arasu gels with the characterization of the subjects.

Although there are a few slow patches, Suseendiran should be appreciated for coalescing the energy and entertainment of a mainstream film with a sensitivity of a realistic one. He has the wholesome attention of the audience in most parts.

Verdict – A hard hitting realistic take!

When Boopathy Pandiyan is at the helm of affairs, you know what to expect; an unruly and riotous version of a rambunctious romcom. Not exactly what you would get too see in Pandiyan’s latest venture Kaadal Solla Vanden. But, whatever he’s tried to get across is not unremarkable, thankfully!.Its love alright, what Pandiyan’s favourite forte is, and he has revelled in adolescent love this time. As is given away by the title of the movie, the story revolves around a young man’s (so young that he’s only in his late teens) attempt at expressing his love. He is only in his first year of college and falls in love, instantaneously, as soon as he spots a pretty girl in his college. The catch, however, is that the girl is in her third year of studies and hence elder to him.

Just as you think how much can a lover boy’s attempt be slotted in a two-hour movie without it becoming a tedious watch, Boopathy throws in some surprises, few comical sequences, adolescent grudges and other factors to give it a bit of zing. For most part, he pulls it off. For the rest, it’s left for us to judge.

So the movie treks along as Balaji finds ways to express his love to Meghna. He gets hired by another student to be a messenger of his love and takes the opportunity in his side. He wins a few moments with Meghna who is proving to be famously obtuse about her love. However, cupid has already stuck our senior girl. What ensues next is the climax that has a little twist and a dramatic message with that.

There could not have been another perfect fit for the role of the adolescent college boy than Balaji. His stint at Kana Kaanum Kaalangal obviously comes in handy and he pulls it off with much ease since the role demands pretty much nothing from him other than playing pranks at his seniors and trailing and tracking down a senior girl to express his love. It’s like giving away ladoos for a person with sweet tooth and Balaji has taken advantage of the situation completely.

The characterizations of Meghna and the rest of the crew have been made appropriately and hence ebbs and flows with the movie’s moods. Yuvan’s music is so-so with no songs particularly leaving with the viewer from the theatre. That’s not to say the songs are not shot nice, they are. In a ‘pleasing to the eye’ way.

Boopathy Pandiyan’s Kaadal Solla Vanden is not the time pass material he has produced before. It’s much less entertaining than its earlier counterparts and the fact that the storyline has very little scope for fast-paced narration leaves you stifle a yawn quite often.

No matter how many tricks and techniques to pursue love are explored, the concept gets repetitive often. It also threatens to border in on childishness and that’s exactly what seems to happen during the course of Kaadal Solla Vanden. There’s no harm in giving it a chance, only if you have nothing better to do over the weekend.

Verdict: Chasing love relentlessly!

Starring: Atharva, Samantha
Direction: Badri Venkatesh
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Production: Sathyajyothi films

 Director Badri Venkatesh's maiden venture Baana Kaathadi was released today with some amount of expectation in the Kollywood film circle. The film has Atharva, veteran actor Murali's son, and Samantha, who was the heroine in Telugu VTV, as the lead pair. Prasanna, Karunas and Manobala are in supporting roles and music is by Yuvan Shankar Raja. So what is Baana Kaathadi all about?The hero is a school student living in the crowded slum of North Chennai. He falls in love with a college going Fashion Technology student while chasing kites with his friends. The hero gets caught by the police in an unexpected situation which happens to change his life forever. What happens to the hero? Does he manage to marry the girl he fell in love with? Watch Baana Kathaadi if you want to find the answer to these questions.

Atharva is a school student whose hobby is to fly kites. It just happens that one day he bumps, quite literally, into Samantha. In the ensuing events, Samantha's pen-drive finds its way into Atharva's pocket. This makes Samantha go behind Atharva for two days as she has her college project in that pen-drive. Atharva's mother manages to find it while washing clothes and he gives it back to Samantha. Thrilled by getting the pen-drive back, she decides to throw a party to Atharva and his friends. Love looms between the two. Now if you are wondering about the age disparity between the two, here is a clarification. Atharva is not a bright student at school and so he spends two or three years in every standard he studies. Good.

The hero decides to express his love and when the two meet in a beach, Atharva spills a pack of condoms, which he accidentally and unknowingly picks up from Karunas' pocket. This infuriates Samantha who decides to dump his love. Meanwhile, Atharva happens to be a witness to a murder of an ex-MLA committed by Prasanna who lives in the same area. A sudden change of events lands Atharva behind the bars. What happens to Atharva, Prasanna and Samantha is the rest of the story.

The first half of Baana Kaathadi drags itself forward with high points here and there. It makes you wonder how a fashion technology student can fall in love with a school student (though an explanation is given). Maybe you excuse the director as he is allowed to use his cinematic freedom but the expression on Samantha's face when the pack of condoms gets spilled is certainly questionable. We also wonder why Atharva does not make an attempt to hide it or give an explanation. In fact, the only scene in the movie which demands attention is when Prasanna kills the ex-MLA. The story shines in bits but falls flat in many places.

Atharva does a good job as the protagonist. He looks quite real as the school boy in the slums of North Chennai. But he does seem to have a lot more in him and has a lot of potential to make it big in Kollywood. Samantha does not have a lot of scope and has done a very ordinary job as the heroine. After her brilliant performance in Ye Maaya Chesave, it is quite natural to expect more from her. But she disappoints. Karunas and others have played their parts. Some of the comedy scenes do evoke laughter in the audience.

Director Badri Venkatesh could have handled the script a lot better. With a powerful production house and lots of talent at his disposal, he could easily have given much more powerful presentation. The screenplay does not demand attention at all and hence it is hard to hide a feeling of saturation when you are watching the movie. Even the romantic sequences between the two seem so artificial. Though the song numbers by Yuvan are fairly enjoyable it does not add strength to the otherwise ordinary movie. Same applies to the cinematography which is handled by Richard Maria Nathan. There is nothing more in the movie that is really worth mentioning.

With no other movies releasing this weekend and a dry Friday last week, this movie had all the potential to make it big. Unfortunately, poor handling of the script and actors is a major letdown in this movie. Atharva seems qualified to do better roles in the future. The movie has his moments but it is not enough to hold the movie-goer's attention for long periods of time.

Verdict – Baana Kaathadi - does not fly high.







 


Review by : Behindwoods review board