The big question, folks.
Will the mucho anticipated Kanthasamy turn out to be another charming Anniyan or a tedious Sunniyan a la Bheema?
The answer to the $$ question is nigh on hand.
Anything less than Anniyan would be unacceptable.
After a gap of some two odd years, we rewatched Anniyan yesterday.
And what a charmer it turned out to be even though we were seeing it for the second time (something we seldom do).
Thanks to director Shankar and actor Vikram, Anniyan is a continuous series of fine moments. Here are a few, some of them really comical:
* When Ambi gives the love letter to Nandhini’s parents instead of handing it to the girl he desperately loves
* When the police officer Prabhakar explains to his mother why he’s not crying over the horrible death of his elder brother (the railway caterer)
* Fight scenes are mostly executed with panache compared to other Tamil movies (not the total nonsense we see in Vijay, Surya, Ajith, Vishal films)
* Decent dialogs (Sujatha)
* Ambi explaining to Nandhini why he didn’t commit suicide
* The big confrontation/fight between Ambi/Anniyan and police officer Prabhakar
* Final scene in the train
Anniyan is also one of those rare Tamil movies where the comedy track (Vivek) is decently integrated into the main story, not hanging loose and flapping around like Hanuman’s tail as in Villu or Kuruvi.
Of course, there are some holes in the film. As if the girl Nandhini can’t recognize Ambi in Remo, horrid dancing by Vikram et al. But none of them detract from the solid entertainment in the movie.
Can Susi Ganesan and Vikram deliver the goods in Kanthasamy or will it be Bheema redux?
Kanthasamy – Charming Anniyan or Tiresome Sunniyan? added by SearchIndia.com on
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kanthaswamy will be equal to Anniyan, no doubt about that, tomorrow we will be knowing the result ….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Parkalam (we’ll see).
are u watching it tomorrow? i iwll be watching FDFS at 8am IST
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds is also releasing here. Let’s see.
My own guess is that Kanthasaamy will not be able to match Anniyan, let alone surpass it. The difference between the two movies will be as much as that in the craft of the two directors.
In short, Shankar will be the difference between the two movies.
This guy Shankar, barring Boys and Sivaji, has be able to deliver very watchable movies, within the framework of conventional cinema. He knows what works with a lot of people in the audience.
I am not so sure of Susi Ganesan. Kanthasaamy seems to be a very ambitious venture for this upstart of a director. I will be glad to eat my own words.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Shankar has a certain class and finesse that others in the Tamil movie industry just can’t seem to match.
It’ll turn out to be worse than Bheema… Thats what I guess. In any case, please watch it and review, so that we can save our money….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
It’s releasing all over the U.S. tonight (i.e. Thursday night).
Even if Kandasamy is not that bad, it can never be as good as Anniyan…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We’ll know in a few hours (10:05 AM ET i.e 7:35PM IST now).
should be better than Anniyan ….that’s what i am expecting …looking at the trailers ….songs are a let down …except for ” Excuse me ” and the kuthu song “Idellam Dupe” …
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Anything less than Anniyan would be a disaster.
We don’t think we’ve seen the trailers…just the song sequences to YouTube.
Good post on Anniyan. Would love if Kanthasamy becomes a hit for Vikram. Hope this guys comes back and does good movies instead of making us wait for eons.
By the way, you wrote,”As if the girl Nandhini can’t recognize Ambi in Remo, horrid dancing by Vikram et al.”
I just had the same doubt. In the Superman man movies, Louis Lane roams around with Clarke Kent, while fantasizing about Superman all the time. The only “difference” between Superman and Clark kent is that the latter has a weird hairtsyle and wears thick glasses. How come Louis Lane took years to find that Clarke was Superman 😀
Sometimes, if you desire to enjoy movies, put the logic in the backseat and watch.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Sometimes, if you desire to enjoy movies, put the logic in the backseat and watch.
As we’ve said on several occasions, for all its inadequacies Anniyan was still a fine entertainer.
And the big question is whether Kanthasamy can match up to it.
Anniyan was good overall, but the worst part was Sada, god she is terrible as a heroine, looks wise, acting wise. What curse has befallen Kollywood that we have to put up with such lousy females as heroines?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: What curse has befallen Kollywood that we have to put up with such lousy females as heroines
It does look like this Mumbai import’s star is now on the wane, not that it was ever shining very bright. From a 25-watt bulb, Sada’s now close to a 0-watt bulb.
SI, my uncle working in Sharjah watched the movie in concorde theatre and called me by phone and said the film is super but there are some glitches with vadivelu comedy track and shriya …
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Wow. It’s already out in the Gulf.
In the U.S. the first shows of Kanthasamy start around 9PM ET tonight.
@shadow ,
i believ u are waiting for some bad news abt kanthaswamy?
Why man, u see Vikram is the not a kind of actor who got help/support from his parents or from film industry, he struggled all through his years in cinema, now only he is gaining some popularity. why u are more interested in degrading him ?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: u see Vikram is the not a kind of actor who got help/support from his parents or from film industry
Just because someone has come from outside the film fraternity is no reason to support him/her blindly.
SI wrote: Just because someone has come from outside the film fraternity is no reason to support him/her blindly
Me: I understand but he is pavan pa (i feel sad for him)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Vikram is not a starving orphan that anyone needs to shed tears for.
He made bad choices like Bheema and reaped the inevitable consequences.
Its difficult to satisfy your taste. Only 1 out of 10 films u like, going by the ratio i would say u may not be liking kanthaswamy. Because u have liked Kaminey so ur next good movie will come after some weeks.
Don’t say i am negative here, but the prediction will be true ….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Only 1 out of 10 films u like, going by the ratio i would say u may not be liking kanthaswamy. Because u have liked Kaminey so ur next good movie will come after some weeks
Funny. 🙂
Movie-making is a serious business and unfortunately most Indian movie directors and stars treat it in a very cavalier fashion with shoddy movies or outright theft.
Eagerly waiting for ur review,for both kanthasaamy and inglorious basterds (it got mixed reviews in cannes)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
The latest issue of New Yorker too didn’t have many nice things to say about inglorious basterds. We’ll do a short post on that in a few minutes.
I have been avidly following SearchIndia’s posts and its comments for the past few months. I have noticed that most of the readers of this blog tend to be hardcore lovers of classic/cult films so much that they tend to ignore ground reality. Films are made for 2 purposes 1)To make profits, profits, and more profits 2) To entertain the audience. While 2 should be the main reason for film-makers to create movies, it ends up that 1 is the only reason they make movies.
Let’s face the facts right! India is not a country where your so-called Godfathers, Citizen Kanes, and other classic films fetch good money. Unlike Hollywood, lot of the talented upcoming directors/assistant directors cannot make movies in their own right. I have experienced a few instances
1) Actors like Vijay, Ajith, and other clowns tend to mess up the story too much. For them, their image comes first, everything else does not matter
2) Producers are not willing to finance classic films or films that have no commercial values. The reason they state is that classic films rarely bring in profits. The best examples are Vikram’s KASI, Madhavan’s Yevano Oruvan, and Of course, Kamal Haasan’s Anbe Sivam. Here the audiences prefer more masala films.
It all depends to do with our lifestyle. I donno much about US workculture, but I hear that 90% of the US people tend to work less than 48 hours per week (Although they put in quality work). Whereas in India, people slog like dogs, thanks to the worst corporate culture given to us by the WESTERN idiots.
So people tend to take movies more as a relaxation measure.
If I slog for 70 hours a week and go to a film. I expect some entertainment. That’s why people like me prefer a film like TRANSFORMERS over your classic films.
However, we are not responsible for shitty films from non-actors like Vijay, Ajith, and whats-his-name actors.
Kindly do not blame us, fans, for the shit that Kollywood delivers. We do love MASALA FILMS, but not movies where the HERO becomes a one-man army, speaks thousands of punchlines, and flies around like Superman.
This ain’s what we asked.
We love films like SAAMI, not films like K**DI, oops AADHI.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. We are not against profits or big paydays for actors/producers/distributors but most films coming out of India and releasing in theatres here are not in the least entertaining.
2. You write: Actors like Vijay, Ajith, and other clowns tend to mess up the story too much. For them, their image comes first, everything else does not matter
True.
An interesting feature of the Indian film industry is the extraordinary control and power that actors wield over the whole film-making process. Even directors of Mani Ratnam’s stature do not have so much control over the process when dealing with stars like Ash.
We’d like to believe that in Hollywood it’s the director who calls the shots and who have control over the process.
Then there’s the well-known Indian characteristic of ill qualified children of film stars stepping into the business, throttling the competitive aspect that improves quality.
@SearchIndia’s comment on Sada: Check this out, the lady has bagged herself a hindi film starring Shreyas Talpade in the lead. And guess what, the film is inspired/copied from the THAI movie, SHUTTER.
httphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Click_%282009_film%29
For details on Shutter: check this out http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/review/760
SearchIndia.com Responds:
So the woman is still alive and kicking.
Shutter is already on our list of movies to watch.
Well, I guess if even Directors like Mani Ratnam get tossed around, they just bunk the project and do the film with young and upcoming actors. The Tamil industry also welcomes good films like Subramaniapuram, Nadodigal, and other innovative films. We still believe that a film which has a strong storyline with decent actors can be more than a hit at the box office.
Once Directors have the guts to rely on their powerful stories, these so-called dumbos, Vijay and Ajith, will start listening and try to act decently (I doubt it).
I donno why directors hesitate to do challenging stories even when small budget films like 1) Autograph, 2) 7/G Rainbow Colony, 3) Kadhal Kondein, 4) Kalloori, 5) Subramanipuram, 6) Nadodigal, and many others have struck gold at the office.
Maybe they still feel that making shit films with HIT ACTORS will guarantee them success easily.
A film without a good story is as sweet as Coffee with Saccharine.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: I donno why directors hesitate to do challenging stories even when small budget films like 1) Autograph… and many others have struck gold at the office. Maybe they still feel that making shit films with HIT ACTORS will guarantee them success easily.
In our view, culturally Indians as a group are very risk averse or maybe economists would describe it as capital scarcity.
They seldom go for broke, which is why we also seldom see great innovation or big success stories in India.
I have been occassionally following SI, but I could not believe my eyes when you are praising Anniyan. Agreed, Anniyan is a well-intended movie, but it did not really measure up to Shankar’s potential.
Shankar stole the plot from the popular Sidney Sheldon novel titled “Tell Me Your Dreams”. I am saying he stole it because, this was not credited in the movie. Even the idea for the climax and the final act were lifted from the book. Only because he had Sujatha, he could ‘Indianize’ the screenplay with some impressive dialogues. There were too many logical loopholes, and the screenplay took the easy way out at every given possibility. (The scene where Vikram (Anniyan) escapes from the Nehru stadium, is never shown. Very conveniently! And there were so many scenes like that, I was tearing my hair out in the theater. But, I was alone as no one seemed to mind)
And Vikram looked old, and his slang/accent of ‘Remo’ was pathetic. And we should believe it would charm any girl. God forbid!! Maybe, no one else could have done that role better than him, but if that is the case, the fault should lie with the Director. It still worked because Vivek was in good form and as you mentioned, it was not a separate track. (Especially inside the train, he asks Vikram,if he should bring KamalHaasan to kiss Sada. Witty dialogues at its best!) And Harris Jeyaraj lifted tunes from all over, but made up with deft background scoring.
So, Anniyan was just watchable and it was a usual Shankar movie with his version of dealing with one of the illnesses plaguing the society.
Of course, Bheema was complete excreta. It was as if Thamizh cinema’s nod to Brokeback mountain with Prakash Raj and Vikram. Very very un-watchable.
So, do not get your hopes up for Kanthaswamy either. Already, I could barely watch the minute long song sequences on youtube.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: There were too many logical loopholes, and the screenplay took the easy way out at every given possibility
True and we did acknowledge that with a few examples. For a medical student, Nandhini talks like a blithering idiot about the illness.
Yes, Remo’s accent was irritating like hell…
2. Yet, notwithstanding all the logical craters, Anniyan scored big because of:
1. Offbeat story (by Tamil movie standards)
2. Vikram’s performance
3. It was far superior to most Tamil movies of the period (and still is).
4. Crisp, witty dialogs
3. By no means is Anniyan the ne plu ultra of movies and we don’t think we ever suggested that.
Bless me, I am planning to watch it tomorrow.. Are you going to watch it tonight? If you thrash it too much, I may skip it or may not..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write above: Bless me, I am planning to watch it tomorrow
May the force be with you.
Will likely watch it tonight. The thing is an old friend from Chennai has just come to the U.S. and we’re waiting for his call. So the uncertainty.
So it’s confirmed guys, kanthasaamy ain’t no anniyan. The film is an insult to one’s intelligence and is sheer torture. So SI, sure you’re gonna watch this? I warn u. :p
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Watched Kanthasamy already.
Plain awful.
Just saw movie in movie city tonight. Don’t waste $15. Movie is total waste of time. Kandha inth kuppa padathil irunthu kapathu samy
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Don’t waste $15
We agree 100%. Wasn’t it $18 on Thursday in Movie City?
2. Was there a big crowd?
Shall i watch this movie or not? post ur review soon…………………………
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Shall i watch this movie or not?
By all means, watch this movie if you are the kind that loves the sting of the crop on your bare bottom.
2. You write: post ur review soon
Will do.
Writing as fast as we can.