A Fistful of Stuff

TEN 2010's Thamizh Movies that were much better than (I) expected.

Thanks to the motivation of few friends to urge me into writing again, here is my next entry after almost a year. The search for an interesting topic went on for quite awhile (precisely 8 months) from topics ranging from Wes Anderson to Vetrimaaran to Vikram to Vadivelu to Vijay Sethupathi. Finally after a lot of pondering, this interesting topic struck me on a day when I was travelling without charge on my mobile.

As the title suggests, this entry covers the movies in the past 6-7 years that I found were much better than I had anticipated them to be. I am sure that I haven't even watched 10% of Thamizh movies in the last 7 years but these are the 10 picks out of the collection of movies I have watched in this period.

If there are some great movies to be missed in this list it might be due to the fact that I might have not watched them. Or that those were only as good or not as good as expected. Also, I will be listing the movies 2 at a time to save me some time for writing. I am also including some wonderful/ultimate visuals framed from each of the movies to capture the feel of the movie. So, let's begin!

10.O Kadhal Kanmani (2015) - Mani Ratnam

Kicking off the list with this feel good romantic classic. Now, it would really concern some movie fans as to why a movie from a ace veteran filmmaker would be on this list and as to what is so surprising about it. Let me explain. Mani Ratnam as we know him was a visionary who provided us with some everlasting, unforgettable classics. But as with every other movie maker, there was a time when the class of movies started becoming little pale, not to say ordinary. Especially with KADAL, there were talks as to where the old legendary Mani Ratnam was and that it is time that he retires. With OK Kanmani being announced, songs released and finally the movie set to release there were personal expectations as to how good the movie would be, but there was still a slight speculation that it wouldn't be as good as his earlier works. Nevertheless he returned back to form and hit back at his critics to show that he is here to stay. He was back with a lovely, fresh, contemporary tale on present day love and relationships set in a beautiful backdrop. It is amazing to realize that how a single filmmaker can study and make a movie for every generation he was in.

Set with a minimal cast and poetically weaving lights & sounds (thanks to P.C.Sreeram and A.R.Rahman) as set pieces to narrate this tale of modern day romance, OK Kanmani is a beautiful tale through which Mani Ratnam has carved his niche and shown his class yet again.

To quote one scene in particular, there is a scene in which Tara (Nithya Menon) has a rift with Dulquer and he follows her all the way through rain & shine to look at her, greeting her with a big smile as the 'Aye Sinamika' song rings in the background. Tara unable to resist, responds back with a smile and they get along together again. Wowwwww, Mani Ratnam!!! There are just a couple of present day directors who could blend all elements to bring such wonderful romantic chemistry on screen.

Also there is more importance to the female lead and Nithya portrays a stronger character which in some ways looks many steps above the male lead - something which is very rare in present day cinema. Overall, Mani Ratnam has successfully taught a lesson to present day movie makers on how a romantic modern day movie should be - with his trademark screenplay & visuals and I hope his magic continues in his further movies in other genres as well!

9. Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom

If ever there was movie in which one single word and expression could remind you of the entire sequence and make you laugh - it is this one.

Coming to the reason to why this movie finds place on this list, well it pretty much will be obvious to anyone who's seen the movie. Following the surprise sleeper hit PIZZA, this was the next step of Vijay Sethupathi's rise to stardom but this wasn't expected. Me personally, laughed hard on seeing this title and had told my friends that this will be another one of those lame love stories that will flop miserably. Guess who got served and was totally 100% wrong there! Watching this movie without knowing anything about it was one of the greatest surprises in my movie watching experience.

We have been treated to watching movies with unique disorders in the past in Thamizh cinema - Chandramukhi, Anniyan, Ghajini to quote. When all those were either thrilling interpretations in a dramatic way, this one was the total opposite. The concept of Short Term Memory loss is terrifying but what we are exposed to is 2 and half hours of laughter and fun. Thamizh audience have been exposed to watching slapstick comedies but this one takes a surprising turn. The realism prevailing throughout the movie is so good thanks to an incredible fresh cast and their subtle acting. It was as if the original incident behind the movie was brought in front of our eyes - documentary style, with comedy. Vijay Sethupathi literally lives his role from first to last and there isn't a single scene where he loses character. Also another thing about this wonderful black comedy is that it is original to the core and there aren't any scenes/sequences that resemble scenes from other comedies. That really struck me as a great achievement for a comedy movie in Thamizh, where old movies/concepts are rehashed all the time. Made on a very low budget, entertaining for people of all ages (even without songs and fight sequences) and watchable multiple times, this movie stands out to be one of the perfectly made comedies in Thamizh movie history! Andddd, now I have ended up watching this movie again :D

8. Indru Naetru Naalai

Now this is a movie that I didn't even know existed before its release. I ended up watching it couple of days after its release in an almost empty theater and the experience was just WOW! The concept of time-travel has been much cliched in Hollywood but this time it has been effectively put to use in a Thamizh movie. Put some comedy and a crime angle into the script and it becomes more overwhelming.

The screenplay of this movie is its hero. This movie could have been either pure sci-fi with lot of Nolan level detailing or commercial sci-fi with all masala elements for the Thamizh audience. But this movie is the thin line between both those categories. There are many Wow-moments in this movie ranging across different emotions but the plotline never falls apart. Casting a rather unknown actor as a strong villain was another main plus in this movie as no one really wouldn't have expected his commendable performance. There are still tiny loopholes but the tightly executed screenplay gives you no time to think about any of them - at least while watching it the first time. Hope Thamizh audience show more interest and choose to watch movies like this which give more importance to the story than the Lead Hero. Kudos to Vishnu Vishal for continuing to keep choosing versatile scripts.

7. Sathuranga Vettai

I begin with the same 2 statements from the previous movie at place 8. This movie released on the same day as 'Velaiyilla Pattadhari' and I am more than glad that I ended up watching this movie instead. The reasons are obvious.

'VIP' movie was released amidst many expectations due to its trailers and super hit songs that people like me didn't even know anything about this movie. The director, the cast and crew of 'SV' were almost all fresh and unknown when compared to VIP and the popularity of this movie was mainly due to the posters everywhere. So there's no question as to why this movie finds a place on this list considering the expectation level.

In many cases when a movie fails in spite of having a good cast and crew, it's due to the dialogues in the screenplay. It looks as if for this movie, the director-screenwriter H.Vinoth came up with plenty of great quotable dialogues about life, money, deceit and framed the entire script around it (also making use of real life scams and thefts in driving the script). What starts off like a normal crime movie goes on to be a perfect entertainer with lots of cleverly written sequences (except for the songs) with some good twists and turns, keeping the audience hooked and guessing. Also we see the protagonist being depicted as an anti-hero in the beginning, caring for nothing other than money but finally turning over into a new leaf through different changes in his life. Am sure that this movie could have been a smashing blockbuster if it was made with a well known hero but that would have somehow ruined the uniqueness of it. Overall 'Sathuranga Vettai' is a near perfect heist movie with great narration, music and a terrific, memorable performance by Natraj.

6. Soodhu Kavvum

How often do you see a movie by a debutant where almost all characters are memorable, all scenes seem necessary without a boring moment and the movie itself becoming a trendsetter? If these characteristics need a definition it will be "Soodhu Kavvum".

As already mentioned in movie no.9, PIZZA and NKPK started cementing Vijay Sethupathi's place in Thamizh cinema. So as hype would have it this movie had its expectations based upon Sethupathi and also 'Nalan Kumarasamy' who was at that time popular for his short films. Also this was the movie which made me a fan of Santhosh Narayanan for the offbeat variety of music in the soundtrack. All this accumulated to form a certain level of anticipation to look forward to the movie. But Nalan broke all those little expectations in a positive way to provide an even better, incomparably groundbreaking black comedy that everyone loved.

There are only a handful of Thamizh movies which I felt have a lot of content to talk about when watching for the first time. This was one of them. The screenplay is intricately mapped such that all characters have a role to play in the plot. Sarcastic and ironical, the dark humour of this movie makes it feel like a satire. Be it the scene where the CM of the state advises a minister to learn to be corrupt like his son (or) where a rowdy turned doctor swears at a astrologer turned real-estate agent (or) where a group of youngsters realize that kidnapping is the best profession (or) the insane finale where a psychotic villainous policeman shoots himself unexpectedly, this movie is so full of sarcasm and irony.

Also the characters in this movie and selection of actors to play those roles are so perfect. Through every phase of the movie we are introduced to a new character who instantly becomes so likable. Das, Pagalavan, Kesavan, Sekhar, Shalini, Arumaipragasam, Bhramma, Rowdy-Doctor - the list of versatile and memorable characters in this movie is unmatched that as if it feels like Nalan was playing an ode to Guy Richie or Quentin Tarantino. Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum was definitely good but it looks miles apart in content and execution when compared to this masterpiece. I really hope Nalan finds form once again and delivers another celebrative, joyous movie for all lovers of cinema.

5. Irudhi Suttru

Few years back when I watched 'Million Dollar Baby' (one of the numerous classics by Clint Eastwood), I was pondering over why there wasn't such a movie in Thamizh. I have seen 'Chak De' fully but in parts and I had got the same thoughts. There have been sporting movies in Thamizh including boxing movies but most of them were not to the point. What was publicized as a "sports movie" just seemed to be another one of those typical commercial movies beginning with one match where the hero loses, a few motivational "advise" dialogues, some cliched heartwarming quotes, one final match where the hero wins at all - along with plenty of unnecessary stuff. So when I came to know that Madhavan was acting in a boxing movie, I had expected something similar on these lines at first but it still pestered me how as to guy as charming and cool as Madhavan would be part of a boxing movie. Then around the end of 2014 the teaser for the movie arrived and it blew off my mind totally! Madhavan's rugged new look, the intense acting, the editing and that haunting score by Santhosh Narayanan gave me a new set of expectations for the movie. But all those expectations faded away as the movie took forever to release after that.

The movie finally was set to release in January of this year (2016). The songs and trailer of the movie had rekindled my interest to watch out for it and was I hoping that my wish of watching a perfect sports movie in Thamizh was finally going to be satisfied. But to my astonishment, this movie wasn't on the lines of what I had anticipated. It was so much better than what I had thought that it was something else. In brief, it wasn't a 'Million Dollar Baby' kind but rather a 'Whiplash' kind :D

Irudhi Suttru is a classic that has the brutal reality of a Bala movie but still possesses a poetic gentle heart of a Mani Ratnam movie. This power packed movie exposes the topic of politics in sports in India with the right mix of sport, action and various emotions. Standing apart from the earlier Thamizh sports, this movie tries to break many cliches of usual such movies and almost succeeds at that. Madhavan as Prabhu is nearly a reminiscence of J.K.Simmons from Whiplash - known for his harsh training methods and as someone who keeps pushing his students to an insane level until he gets satisfied. Foul-mouthed, angry, womanizing, alcoholic yet being talented and straightforward, Madhavan exhibits his immense acting prowess as Prabhu. But the real hero of the movie turns out to be Ritika Singh with her tremendous gritty performance as Ezhil Madhi. Am sure that someone new to Thamizh movies will definitely find it hard to believe that this was her debut movie. As a poor fisherwoman who has an interest in boxing, Madhi fights of all barriers ruthlessly including her feelings towards Prabhu to be finally crowned champion in the end. Special mention to Nassar and Radharavi again for their subtle acting and easing the prevailing intensity. Santhosh Narayanan's music elevates this movie to a notch above. Sudha Kongara, rather than being feminist delivers a wonderful 'knock-out' movie that will be memorable for years to come and one that can be hailed for many good reasons. Cheers to the entire team of this movie for presenting a dramatic yet loveable classic!

4. Thuppakki

Placing this movie at no.4 on this list will really be bewildering or surprising for the few people going through this blog. I have my reasons. There are 3 more movies after this but SPOILER ALERT. There are no movies of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Ajith, Surya, Vikram or Dhanush. Vijay is my least favorite actor compared to these others. I have watched very few Vijay movies against these others and I certainly don't anticipate any of his movies. So keeping all this in mind, you must now have the reason as to why this movie gets its place on this list. I didn't expect this movie to be as good!

Before Thuppakki my most favorite Vijay movie was Ghillie. After Ghillie I've watched only a handful of Vijay movies as I have this feeling that there is nothing different to see in another Vijay movie. The posters and looks of Vijay in Thuppakki were interesting though. Also his previous movie Nanban seemed good in spite of being just a direct remake from 3 Idiots. But still I tried to avoid this Vijay movie as much as every other movie of his. Even the catchy songs of the movie didn't strike a chord with me. Still I ended up watching this movie due to persuasion of one of my friends who was a Vijay fan. Ultimately, the movie was a tight slap on my face and that I shouldn't judge any movie without watching it!

Seriously, this is the only Vijay movie that I loved so much for many aspects that I watched it twice in theaters (and multiple other times on laptop, TV). It looks like really another commercial movie but seemed intelligent and crisp than any other big gun's movie in Thamizh after a long time. I mean, if this movie had cut out Kajal Aggarwal's part, the songs and comedy tracks - the racy screenplay and action could have made it seem like a Tom Cruise movie in Thamizh (not exaggerating). Such was the effect of that movie.

There are some positives that seemed different in comparison to other action movies which I can go through. The storyline follows a age-old terror plot but almost for the first time in Thamizh - we come to know about 'Sleeper Cells' and their impact. I haven't done much study on that but having this as the backbone of a movie rather than having a Pakistani 'Thamizh speaking' militant made it interesting. Vijay is introduced as captain in Indian army as well as a DIA specialist. He is depicted mostly like a man of brains with clever instincts which itself is a different aspect for a Vijay character(and he suited that role perfectly). Next, the antagonist - Vidyut Jamwal. I cannot recount the number of movies where the villain is unnamed in a Thamizh movie. I mean, every strong memorable villain in a Thamizh movie has a distinct name that rings a bell (Mark Anthony, Neelambari, Assault Sethu, Siddharth Abimanyu, Kothala Thevar to name a few). But that cliche is broken here as Vidyut's name is never revealed making him join the list of famous unnamed movie characters like Clint Eastwood in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. I watched the movie closely and went through online forums to see if the villain has a name but he doesn't. That struck me as a unique aspect of the movie. Next is the chemistry between Vijay and Vidyut. Vidyut doesn't know Vijay until the interval as the guy who foils his terror plans. Vijay never has a clue about Vidyut until the interval. And the moment when the both first converse - Vidyut threatens Vijay and he rather than delivering a typical lengthy punch, he simply responds as "I am waiting". Goosebumps! The impact of that one scene drives the rest of the movie forward. There is no doubt as to why this simple dialogue became such a big hit and has a following. The same dialogue was reused in another Murugadoss-Vijay film Katthi as well but I felt that the impact was not even remotely close as to it was in Thuppakki. Back to Thuppakki- even after their first conversation, Vijay and Vidyut do not meet until the very end but the tension prevailing around these character's and their actions keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats. The ending duel and fight is a little bit typical but it still works good as Vijay finishes off Vidyut without delivering any lengthy monologues as it usually happens.

Another big strength of this movie is off course Mr.Santhosh Sivan. Moving away from his choice of movie selection a little bit, Santhosh proves that he is the king of cinematography in commercial films as well with vibrant, crystal-clear, colorful shots. When I started selecting screenshots from movies for this blog, Thuppakki was my first movie where I started as I have many favorite shots in the movie. Also Harris's background score is peppy and trendy for most of the movie. Overall, this is one of my most favorite movies in Thamizh and I still cannot find a movie of a leading hero as good as this. I hope A.R.Murugadoss keeps entertaining us with such slick action blockbusters.