Gautam Menon’s mega-folly and depressingly disgusting Cooum Dump of a movie Vaaranam Aayiram (Surya), is a box office disaster in the U.K., according to the numbers from the UK Film Council.
Even trashy Tamil films like Kuselan, Kuruvi, Bheema and Billa fared better in the U.K. than Vaaranam Aayiram.
And why not – Vaaranam Aayiram is a pathetic piece of shit that had no business being released in a theatre.
If Surya and Gautam ‘inept’ Menon wanted a joy ride on the ego train, they should have limited the screening of this piece of junk to Friends & Family and not inflicted such painful agony on the paying audience.
Au contraire, Surya and Gautam ‘inept’ Menon duped us of $15 by promising a movie and showing us some ugly images flashing on the screen.
For the opening weekend (November 14-16, 2008), Vaaranam Aayiram had a pathetic opening gross of a mere £44,589, much worse than a crappy movie like Kuruvi.
Vaaranam Ayiram came in at No-16 for the opening weekend and had an average gross of £4,954, lower than Billa, Kuruvi and Kuselan but higher than Bheema and that ultimate kuppa Aegan.
Look at the numbers below to see how Vaaranam Ayiram has fared at the U.K. box office compared to a few other Tamil movies in the opening weekend:
Source: UK Film Council
For all those who hailed Vaaranam Aayiram as a masterpiece and Surya’s greatest performance, well it seems there are not many who share your opinion going by the box office numbers.
Gautam Menon and Surya set out to deliver the Tamil equivalent of Forrest Gump but given their limited talent could deliver only a Cooum Dump.
Describing Vaaranaam Aayiram as an interminably long pathetic piece of shit, SearchIndia.com wrote in its review of this ghastly nightmare:
There’s Forrest Gump and then there’s Cooum Dump oops Vaaranam Aayiram. (Just in case you are not from Tamil Nadu and happened to stumble upon this review, Cooum is that infamous stinking river in the states capital Chennai.)
Like director Robert Zemeckis in Forrest Gump, Gautam Menon sets off to tell the story of an ordinary man, actually two ordinary men here, father and son (both played by Surya) but unlike Zemeckis our Menon quickly falls flat on his face and just can’t get up for the rest of the movie.
…The story is less than gripping, Surya’s acting is so-so, the dialogs inanely banal, the songs soporifically dull and the dances, oh, they are straight from hell.
Before Gautam Menon unleashes his next horror show on the hapless public, we hope he’ll learn the basics of the movie-making business.
Related Stories:
Why Just 15 Minutes? Cut 2 Hrs:45 Min of VA, Please
Vaaranam Aayiram Review – Cooum Dump
Vaaranam Aayiram – Box Office Disaster added by SearchIndia.com on
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you said – limited the screening of this piece of junk to Friends & Family
is it true that some of the tamil movies can run for 100 days because ‘the friends and family’ watch the same movie over and over again..?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
After reading media reports from India of a crappy film like Kuruvi ‘running’ for 150 days, we have lost complete faith in this 100 days, 150 days business…because they defy commonsense.
i read its going strong in the states though?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
What is your source?
We don’t want I read in my brother’s e-mail or I heard from my grandmother’s sister, uncle’s fourth cousin…. 🙂
You need to provide a reliable source (with a link) with hard data for claims to be taken seriously.
does your dad work for uk film council. this is a load of crap
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: this is a load of crap
Uh, oh.
Are you suggesting that Vaaranam Aayiram didn’t do even £44,589 in the opening weekend.
WTF does our Dad or your Mama or anybody else have to do with VA’s pathetic box office numbers, you dickhead.
Don’t you live in US…why bothering about UK film council???…because…your sister just got married…your grandpa just called you…your cousin is eating breakfast???
And you really need one, don’t you..you might need two…just coz it’s you!
[Llinks to recent articles from Indiaglitz on VA]
I’ll clarify before you may wonder: I AM “NOT” THE AUTHOR FOR THE ARTICLES IN INDIAGLITZ!
Apologies for any hurtful words…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: Don’t you live in US…why bothering about UK film council???…because…your sister just got married…your grandpa just called you…your cousin is eating breakfast???
God must have been on vacation when you were created. Because only Lucifer’s spawn would write the kind of nonsense you do (do check your forehead for the mark of the beast).
Why is it that our post on Vaaranam Aayiram’s box office numbers has you in such a rabid frothing despairing state. Just wondering.
2. Regarding the two links you provide above, all we can tell readers is not to waste time or money on garbage like Vaaranam Aayiram when better options like Quantum of Solace are available.
Yet again you prove that you are anything but a fair reviewer that you claim to be, scrambling to defend the most non-sensical piece of writing (read Vaaranam Aayiram’s review).
US is a much bigger market for tamil films and you have conveniently ignored the positive box office results there. You ought to be ashamed to quote these numbers as indicative of the quality of the film when garbage like kuruvi, kuselan etc have made money there.
Besides, this is only the opening weekend and Surya was never the king of openings. So, don’t jump to conclusions to save your ugly face.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Fair & Balanced Reviews are what you can always expect from SearchIndia.com. The sad opening weekend numbers for Vaaranam Aayiram speak for themselves.
2. You are welcome to post a link to reliable Vaaranam Aayiram box office numbers in the U.S. Reliable does not mean your friends Meena, Veena or Reena. We mean reliable as in dependable (P.1051, Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition).
3. Vaaranam Aayiram is a piece of crap that had no business being released in a regular theatre. This junk should have been released in a home theatre for Surya’s Friends & Family.
YOU WRITE ABOVE: //God must have been on vacation when you were created. Because only Lucifer’s spawn would write the kind of nonsense you do (do check your forehead for the mark of the beast).//
Oh yeah?? Look who is talking!
YOU WRITE ABOVE: //Why is it that our post on Vaaranam Aayiram’s box office numbers has you in such a rabid frothing despairing state. Just wondering.//
Why is it that your continuously being so violent to everyone? Why is it that your so adamant at every single view you make and never cares about what everyone else says? Why is it that US still keeps you in the country and not throw you out in the sea for how many years?! Well, you’re allowed to wonder… 🙂
YOU WRITE ABOVE: //all we can tell readers is not to waste time or money on garbage like Vaaranam Aayiram//
Well..I am just glad you didn’t stab anyone for watching the movie even after reading your “review”!
Peace…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Why is it that your continuously being so violent to everyone?
Ahimsa is our First Name. And Middle Name. And Last Name. 😉
2. You write: Why is it that your so adamant at every single view you make and never cares about what everyone else says
We respect and deeply care about contrary viewpoints.
Where else would a schmuck like you find a forum to blabber away, ad nauseum, ad infinitum. Look at you, instead of focusing on the pitiful Vaaranum Aayiram box office numbers, you are going off on a tangent. Look at us, not only do we patiently endure your nonsense but we even respond to it.
Shows how deeply we care about alternate viewpoints, even if they come from retards. BTW, you might want to read our other Tamil movie reviews..will give you more ammunition to blabber.
you have quoted some source to prove that VA is not doing well … so have others ..like the Indiaglitz link … Why is your source reliable and others not ?
You are entitled to your opinion of VA .. you may feel its a shit movie … no issues about that … but to pass it off as a general opinion …or viewers feedback is appalling …while infact the movie is doing well …. you will have to wait for the second week to get over … and figures to arrive before you can confirm …. go by facts …. not by the imagination of your pea-sized brain (learnt this from you – thanks)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: Why is your source reliable and others not ?
Because we quote the U.K. Film Council, a third party.
2. You write: but to pass it off as a general opinion …or viewers feedback is appalling
Listen dodo, according to the U.K. Film Council numbers, Vaaranam Aayiram is not doing well. That’s not opinion but fact.
i doubt VA was ever released in US…….
http://www.the-numbers.com/charts/thisweek.php
the link shows the weekend box office report US(nov 14-16)….referred some other links too (boxofficemojo etc..) ….no VA
Even movies released in one or two theatres are listed….no VA…heard it was released in abt 20 theatres. Are they theatres or home theatres??
WHAT’S HAPPENIN???!!!!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: i doubt VA was ever released in US…….
VA was released here in regular theatres (of course, we believe it deserved to be released only in Surya’s home theatre).
We are not sure why BO info is not available for Tamil movies in the U.S.
Here’s one hypothesis – Unlike Bollywood movies, Tamil movies are usually released here in shitty theatres like Anil Ambani’s Movie City, from whom box office information may not be collected. But we can’t say for sure.
Adding to my wonders..I also wonder why you have that name when you have nothing to do with it!
Ya? I appreciate your ‘patient’ towards my non-sense…you forgot to mention a thing: that if we don’t comment, your site would have been in garbage..kuppa, man, kuppa!
YOU WRITE ABOVE: //BTW, you might want to read our other Tamil movie reviews..will give you more ammunition to blabber.//
Are you trying to waste my time? Listen, I am not the right person to choose for making your site popular! Better option is to just comment to yourself and make yourself a paithiyam! You will get a good round of applause, from all over the world!
Well, according to indiaglitz, the film is doing well in US…that’s also a fact!
cberameshin…I don’t see any other language movies there except English…don’t hesitate to correct me if I am wrong!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: according to indiaglitz, the film is doing well in US…
Where are the Box Office numbers?
Provide the Total gross, average gross and no of theatres. Until you do that, we will consider it only as opinion NOT fact.
I happened to spot this article in the GULF NEWS in UAE. It talks about the “Garbage” manufacturing industry of Kollywood. It’s written by Emily Wax with the title “HERO WORSHIP” (LA Times – Washington Post news service)
It’s something what other see in different but truest perspective. Funny item.
http://www.gulfnews.com/weekend/cinema/10261218.html
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Interesting piece (from your link). For those who don’t have time to read through the whole story from Shuaib68’s above link, here’s an excerpt:
Komanavalli……that’a a good name you’ve got……check out the list once again. Think Dostana is not a product of hollywood or any English make!
Anybody interested in M.N.Nambiar (the villain of yesteryear tamil movies) and his legacy?
It’s interesting to learn about some piece of history about an icon in Tamil cinema.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=32955
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Very nice piece. Thanks.
[Trash Talk]
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Obviously, you suckled on an ass’ teats as a baby. If you had drunk human milk, you’d have been normal. Sad.
Dear Homosapien,
It was a comforting feeling that someone out there had the guts to call a spade a spade. The most infuriating moments is when you stumble upon reviews which beat around the bush saying ‘well, it looks very much like a spade, but we can’t be too sure’.
Bravo. I enjoyed your random entries, regarding economics, book reviews, famous quotes more than your reviews of movies for the simple reason they were not driven by impulse and more by analytical thinking.
I think as an adult, we have come a long way from the instinctive primary reflex of ‘name calling’ and exaggerated ‘snorts’ that we resort to during elementary school and have learnt to communicate our message or defend an opinion in a civil manner. What next? Insults about one’s father’s name/plugging one’s year and singing ‘lalalalalla’/’talk to the hand’ kind of comments?
I empathize with the anguish you feel when you watch movies like Kuruvi (I consider all Vijay movies dumb to the core) and countless other movies that I can barely remember.
But to call varanam aayiram another run of the mill is an unjust review. The essence of the movie was not about this perfect, cool dad or a hum sath sath hain theme park family. It was stressing the fact that there is no perfect formulae to raise a kid. Normally kids bemoan the fact that their failures in life/love is due to their parents being too strict. On the other hand, society criticizes parents for being lax and irresponsible if the kid turns out to be a juvenile delinquent.
To quote the Ramayana
‘Even great people get their feet muddy if they take a stroll on a rainy day ‘ .
Likewise,this movie revolves around Surya and this closely knit family. From the outside,this family looks like a bollywood fairy tale. Everyone raves about how cool Senior Surya is,and how lucky Junior Surya is to have such a dad. But in actual reality, Senior Surya is a failed man who has ever persisting debts. His contentment with life could be one of the reasons that he failed to strive harder. Senior Surya was also a chain smoker,and we see confusion flash across Junior Surya’s face momentarily when he is unable to accept the hypocritic statement by his dad advising him not to smoke.
Nowadays people have started to popularize this term ‘time out’, ‘giving some space’ and have sold countless relationship guideline books and motivational crap based on it. Accepting death of a love one not only requires mental strength, it needs the constant nagging support of related love ones. People might say ‘they need some space’ or ‘just leave me alone, I’ll be fine’ but that’s far from the truth. In psychiatry, a death of a loved one is considered a huge stressor, which can even lead to extremes such as manifestations of acute psychosis in those who are genetically predisposed.
Senior Surya and Simran falsely believed they were doing the right thing by letting the son sort it out himself with a brief solitary period, but it only resulted in him becoming a drug user.
The emotional struggle that children face when their old folks are ill/bed ridden has been beautifully portrayed. Junior Surya’s remarks were tinged with guilt when he reflects upon the way he distanced himself from his dad as he was emotionally disturbed by the reality that ‘his dad was sick,and was not a superbeing after all’. It’s hard being at the bedside of a sick person, as it emotionally eats one up from the inside. All this while,the Indian film industry had only been churning out movies where the child shows unwavering loyalty and considers it a blessing/duty to take care of his/her parent. All these people probably never had a debilitated parent or never actually took care of one. So,to bravely and shamelessly acknowledge the fact that he regretted not being by his dad’s bedside when he should have been, was like breathing air as it is (with nitrogen, dust,smog and all other impurities conceivable)
The part where Divya approaches Surya in camp and professes her love for him yet again,and when Surya embraces her without saying a word, Divya’s response which was a jumble of emotions such as disgust, irritation, anger was like the breeze which blows one’s umbrella away allowing us to feel the heavy rain droplets hit our skin. When she remarks ‘what kind of man are you’ and ‘I don’t need you to love me back’ “, we are able to feel her angst, the emotional turmoil in a solid woman who is in denial and is having difficulty coming to terms with her obsession over the one man who does not/may not love her as much as she does.
This was a much needed moment that served as a reminder for all women who foolishly think that they are showing the depth of their love by allowing a non committal man touch her without ever professing his love or meaning it.
Life goes on, we fall, we pick ourselves up, brush the hurt off and walk a bit more cautiously…
If we err, we repent and redeem ourselves, at least before it is too late.
Love/Compassion is an overwhelming irrational feeling. Sex is not barter for love,and love can’t be tabulated by listing pros and cons.
These are the lessons I took home from this movie. Probably you were a test tube baby, god only knows.
ps: I wish to applaud you for giving due recognition to pasupathy. He is probably the most under rated actors currently. But tabu=actress??Hmm..
ps2 : What’s up with the comments on Asin of her being lilliputian?? Blame it on the south indian genes and their staple diet which grossly lacks protein. Your expectations of a lanky substitute is like expecting to see chinese movies parading figures as tall as Yao. If your lilliputian aversion was one shared by the masses, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and other prominent short figures would have never graced our screens. Got to agree with you though that she is still deficient in the acting department. I’m yet to see Kollywood/Bollywood actresses who don’t act cute and actually deliver a riveting performance. Meera Jasmine has potential.
I think you should review some pritviraj movies such as Vellithirai, Kannamoochi Yenada, Satham Podathey, Abhiyum Naanum..
Check out Nana and Arjun in Bomalattam.
Keep up the great job. Just, well tone down on the verbal tirade. .It’s great to generate web traffic, but unhealthy for young readers.
My recent visit to Chennai reminded me that India is still Incredible. Incredibly dirty, stupid, rude and to top it all the citizens are delusional. They are suffering from grandeur delusions that they are a superior race. The northeners regard the dravidians as low caste, the dravidians are too busy commenting on fellow dravidians to bother what the northeners are up to, and Rajinikanth is still busy making statements and retracting them. For god’s sake, can’t chennai afford monorail??
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Forget monorail in Chennai, most parts of the U.S. don’t even have a decent/affordable rail system.
2. You write: I think you should review some pritviraj movies such as Vellithirai, Kannamoochi Yenada, Satham Podathey, Abhiyum Naanum..
Yes, Prithviraj is a good actor.
We liked Sathum Podaathey. Here’s an excerpt from our review:
Here’s the Mozhi review.
We’ll try to see the other movies in your list. We skipped Abhiyum Naanum because of Trisha.
3. You write: Check out Nana and Arjun in Bomalattam.
Bomalattam seems interesting…will try to watch it because of Nana & Bharatiraja.
BTW, we don’t think much of Arjun’s acting capabilities.
4. You write: But to call varanam aayiram another run of the mill is an unjust review
Varanam Aayiram didn’t do anything for us.
We were instinctively comparing it with Forrest Gump and found VA very wanting.
Not once did we feel the angst or emotional turmoil you experienced.
Au contraire, we found it repellingly crude compared to Forrest Gump
As for Sameera Reddy, the only thing we like about her is her Plus Size. The girl wouldn’t recognize acting if it smacked her on the face.
5. You write: Meera Jasmine has potential
Yes, YEs & YES.
6. You write: Got to agree with you though that she [Asin] is still deficient in the acting department
Asin is deficient. Period.
BTW , tamilnadu government is taking steps to clean the COOUM river at least this year ….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
They should clear the state of Lose Paiya, Stalin, Alagiri and the rest of the clowns.