#CelluloidCritic

Critic No. 318 Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj Written by: Lokesh Kanagaraj, Rathna Kumar, Deeraj Vaidy Produced by: Seven Screen Studio Casts : Vijay, Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, Madonna Sebastian Music: Anirudh Language: Tamil Genre: Action SYNOPSIS: Taking place in Himachal Pradesh, Parthiban (Vijay), an animal rescuer and proprietor of a coffee shop, rises to local hero status after saving the town from a Hyena attack. An unrelated incident at his coffee shop garners unwarranted global media attention. Hearing about Parthiban, brothers Anthony Das (Sanjay Dutt) and Harold Das (Arjun Sarja) mistakenly identify him as Leo Das (Vijay), the former's son, leading to a dramatic arrival in the small town as they attempt to confirm Parthiban's true identity. REVIEW: The much-anticipated film 'Leo,' directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, had cinephiles across the world on the edge of their seats. As the second collaboration between Lokesh and ren

Critic No. 317 Director: Atlee Written by: Atlee, S Ramanagirivasan Produced by: Red Chillies Entertainment Casts : Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Deepika Padukone (cameo), Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra Music: Anirudh Language: Tamil Genre: Action SYNOPSIS: In ‘Jawan’ Shah Rukh Khan takes on the role of a masked vigilante on a mission to bring about societal change. He assembles a formidable team of super heroic women to combat the notorious arms dealer, Kali, played by Vijay Sethupathi. REVIEW: Tamil filmmaker Atlee, known for blockbusters like Raja Rani (2013), Theri (2016), Mersal (2017), Bigil (2019) makes his grand entrance into Bollywood with "Jawan." This time with the King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan. With two names known for blockbuster entertainers, will Jawan manage to crackle as well? The film begins with a Vigilante, reminiscent of director Shankar's style, hijacking a train and demanding a ransom from the government. This Robin Hood-like fi

Critic No. 316 Director: Nelson Written by: Nelson Produced by: Sun Pictures Casts : Rajinikanth,Vinayakan, Shivaraj Kumar, Mohanlal, Jackie Shroff, Tamannah, Vasanth Ravi, Sunil, Yogi Babu, Vasanth Ravi, Ramya Krishnan Music: Anirudh Language: Tamil Genre: Action, Black Comedy, Drama SYNOPSIS:  A retired jailer Muthuvel Pandiyan (Rajinikanth) goes on a manhunt to find the people behind the abduction of his son. But the road leads him to a familiar, albeit a bit darker place. Can Muthuvel emerge from this complex situation successfully? REVIEW: 'Jailer' marks Rajinikanth's triumphant return following the less impactful 'Annathe' in 2021. Remarkably at 72, he continues to captivate audiences with his inimitable flair and charisma, a truly commendable feat. Nelson, known for his stellar directorial ventures like 'Kolamavu Kokila' (2018) and 'Doctor' (2021), faced a stumble with the lackluster 'Beast' (2022). This film holds immense sig

Critic No. 315 Director: Mani Ratnam Written by: Mani Ratnam, Elango Kumaravel, B. Jeyamohan Produced by: Madras Talkies, Lyca Productions Casts : Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Karthi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prabhu, R. Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, Rahman, R. Parthiban, Sobitha Dhulipala Music: A.R.Rahman Language: Tamil Genre: Period Drama SYNOPSIS:  A plot to murder the king, Sundara Cholar (Prakash Raj) and the two princes, Arulmozhi (Jayam Ravi) and Adithya Karikalan (Vikram) of the Chola dynasty on the same day is underfoot. Can the Cholas survive the wrath of the Pandiya rebels, who are being led by the vengeful Nandhini (Aishwarya Rai)? REVIEW: After delivering an eye-boggling prequel, the events of Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: Part One (2022) left audiences not just on a high, but also with many questions: What really happened to Arunmozhi Varman? Who is the mysterious lady who makes fleeting but impactful appearances? And most imp

Critic No. 314 Director: Vetrimaaran Written by: Vetrimaaran, B.Jeyamohan Produced by: RS Infotainment, Grass Root Film Company Casts : Soori, Vijay Sethupathi, Bhavani Sre, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Chetan Music: Ilayaraja Language: Tamil Genre: Action, Crime, Drama SYNOPSIS:  Kumeresan (Soori), a new recruit in the police department, gets caught in the conflict between the government and a revolutionary group as he clings on to his path of righteousness. REVIEW: Vetrimaran has created a new benchmark in Indian cinema, quite consistently with his hard hitting films that not only dwells deep on character building but also touches on some of the sensitive socio-political issues that exist in the country through fictional setting. Though the film kicks off with a disclaimer that the story is entirely fictional with Vertimaran's voice, I read it as a sarcastic pun to the pro-government activist.  The film is narrated from the perspective of Kumaresan (Soori), a righteous police const

Critic No. 313 Director: Obeli N. Krishnan Written by: Obeli N. Krishnan, R.S.Ramakrishnan Produced by: Studio Green, Pen Studios Casts : Silambarasan, Gautham Karthik, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Teejay Arunasalam, Anu Sithara, Santosh Prathap, Redin Kingsley Music: A.R.Rahman Language: Tamil Genre: Action, Crime, Drama SYNOPSIS:  An undercover cop Sakthi (Gautham) sets out to find a feared gangster AGR (Silambarasan) in Nagercoil after a bigwig goes missing, but discovers that things may not be as they seem. REVIEW: After giving a decent romance flick, Sillendru Oru Kadhal (2006) director Obeli N Krishna makes a comeback after 17 years with the remake of Mufti, (2017) a celebrated gangster film in the Kannada industry. Personally I have not watched the original version but generally the Indian cinema have seen tons of films that depict the rivalry between cop and gangster with the undercover cop. So how does Pathu Thala stands out in this pool of films? The fi