Singam Tamil Movie Review

Casts: Surya, Anushka, Prakash Raj, Vivek, Nasser, Manorama, Vijayakumar and others
Music: Devi Sri Prasad
Direction: Hari

It’s really been a very long time that our movie buffs enjoyed watching a good film. With most of this year’s releases turning to be mere disappointments, Surya’s Singam stands out as a mind-boggling entertainer. Aye! The duo Surya-Hari makes it on for a successful hat trick with Singam as the film proves to be an excellent showpiece.

To be precise, you wouldn’t actually agonize that you have spent 2.5hrs keeping an eye on this film. Hari has penned such a screenplay, which has the right mix of action, fun, frolic, emotions and romance. Surya doesn’t try to touch the lines of typical mass heroes by uttering loud punch dialogues and bashing down hundreds of men at the same time. Of course, there are more action sequences that have logical factors and are sure to win your appreciations.

Set in the backdrop of Nellore, a small town, the film revolves around inspector Durai Singam (Surya), who joined the service incisively because of his father’s wish. He settles every dispute in town patiently with his gentle talks. Then comes Kavya (Anushka), a city girl on vacation who promptly falls in love with him. Everything seems to be marked by good fortune until Mayil Vaaganam (Prakash Raj) comes across Durai Singam. As they lock horns, things take a different turn with second half keeping everyone on the edge-of-seats.

Kudos to director Hari for churning out such a successful commercial entertainer, he has overshadowed all his previous records with this film. Doubtlessly, Singam can be adjudged as a better show than his yesteryear film Saamy for its interesting plot prevailing all throughout the show. Although, it nearly takes an hour to establish the characters and the conflicts, the voltage peak after intermission trivializes such minuses.

On performance levels, Surya is outstanding with his flawless performance. Even during scenes, where he hops up and down doing goofy stunts, things turn out to be incredulously good. That’s all because of his charismatic appeal. His proficiency to emote with the right feel gains him more acceptance as a mass hero.

Well for Anushka, it’s the best film as she gets more footage. Thanks to Hari, for utilizing her potential to a greater magnitude unlike other filmmakers, who just sign her for glamorous attributes. Vivek’s comedy tracks are really enjoyable but can be better if he avoids his double-entendres. It’s obvious that he has been coming up with similar shows from his previous films. Radha Ravi, Nasser and Manorama have played their roles well. Prakash Raj is simply outstanding as he gets a powerful role to perform after his magnum opus Ghilli. For sure, this will be one of the greatest milestones in his career.

Just watch out for his performance during the penultimate sequences and while playing the fool with Surya on the chase, he is just superb. Devi Sri Prasad strikes with pleasing melodies as almost all the songs have been tuned out well. Especially, the numbers ‘Kadhal Vandhale’ and ‘En Idhayam’ wins hands down.

Cinematography and editing have been put to use with the best results as these technical arenas add momentum to the screenplay. Hari deserves a special mention for establishing brilliant characters as even the minor roles have their importance. Hats off to production designers as they have perfectly managed to complete such a brilliant film within such a short span of time, Avoidance of unnecessary expenses makes the film look sleek which is commendable.

Singam is sure to be one of the best top-drawers of 2010 and the producers will surely be elated as it brings them profits to unexpected levels.

Raajneeti Movie Review

Cast: Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai, Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Katrina Kaif

Director: Prakash Jha

"Raajneeti", directed by Prakash Jha, is a compelling drama about a family in politics. It's about the extent people will go to, driven by a greed for power and a thirst for revenge.

Deliciously dramatic, and packed with sinister twists and turns, the film's plot and characters are rooted in "The Mahabharata", although parallels with "The Godfather" are hard to ignore. Jha's film relies on the solid performances of its ensemble cast to distract your attention from its many lapses.

The drama unfolds as the prototypical Pandavs-versus-Kauravs conflict, with cousins Prithvi Pratap Singh (played by Arjun Rampal) and Virendra Pratap Singh (played by Manoj Bajpai) drawing battle-lines in blood when the patriarch of their powerful political family suffers a paralytic stroke. Both seeking the reins of this political legacy, they resort to blackmail, murder, backstabbing, and marriages of alliance to achieve their ends.

Ajay Devgan stars as Suraj, the Karn-figure from the mythological epic, who sides with the rivals of his step-siblings. Ranbir Kapoor, meanwhile, is Samar, younger brother of Rampal's Prithvi Pratap Singh, who's content with his life in the US, disconnected from politics, until the murder of his father prompts him to slip into his family's dirty business.

"Raajneeti" has a sprawling canvas, and it takes some time to figure out the characters and their motivations. Arjun Rampal is the impulsive, hot-headed Bhim. Manoj Bajpai is the scheming Duryodhan. Ranbir Kapoor the focused Arjun. Nana Patekar stars as the wise counsel Brij who represents Krishna; and Katrina Kaif plays Indu who stands for Draupadi, a pawn in this clash for ultimate power.

The film's first half is immensely engaging, the various machinations making for thrilling entertainment. It's in the second half that "Raajneeti" stumbles. The Kunti character's confrontation with her abandoned son, played by Ajay Devgan, lacks the required dramatic punch. Also rather unconvincing is the sudden transformation in Ranbir Kapoor's character Samar, a subplot whose antecedents may be drawn to Michael Corleone's initiation into his family business in "The Godfather".

A bloody shootout in the film's climax between top politicians in broad daylight appears ridiculous to say the least; and equally disturbing is the film's logic, which allows a central character to walk away from the messy political marshland in the end, his blood-soiled hands notwithstanding.

At 2 hours and roughly 50 minutes in running time, "Raajneeti" is way too long and demands much patience on your part. But it's held up by a string of credible performances. Nana Patekar is terrific as Brij Mama, the smiling, politicking, guiding light who allows his expressions to do more talking than his words. Katrina Kaif looks uncomfortable in the film's early portions, but comes into her own when she slips into the politico's garb and unselfconsciously delivers impassioned speeches at election rallies. Ajay Devgan gets a great introduction scene and uses his eyes effectively to convey hurt and anger, but you can't help feeling the actor was shortchanged in a half-baked role. The usually reliable Manoj Bajpai makes Virendra Pratap Singh a bellowing caricature, while Arjun Rampal offers a confident, assured turn as the brash Prithvi Pratap Singh. The most mature, performance, however, comes from the youngest cast-member, Ranbir Kapoor. The actor plots silently and inconspicuously and is the face of calm even in the most tense moments. It's that rare performance that is calculated, and yet so spare.

In the end "Raajneeti" is thrilling and gripping for the most part, even though it does lose steam in its final act. And as far as politics goes, it doesn't tell you very much more than you didn't already know. Still I'm going with three-and-a-half out of five for director Prakash Jha's "Raajneeti". For the superb acting, and for the exciting dramatic highs, it's a film I recommend you do not miss.

Badmaash Company Movie Review

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Vir Das, Meiyang Chang

Director: Parmeet Sethi

Parmeet Sethi, writer-director of this week's "Badmaash Company" has been quoted as having said that he took all of six days to hammer out the script of this film. Well, guess what? It shows! Set in the early 90s, in a pre-liberalized India when foreign brands were expensive and hard to get your hands on, "Badmaash Company" is an outrageously silly story of four middle-class friends who accumulate much wealth when they figure out a perfect con that involves selling imported sneakers. 

Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Vir Das and Meiyang Chang star as the bore-some foursome who are shown repeating this con over and over and over again till it begins to feel like a tutorial guide. Greed takes them westwards, and next thing you know they're in New York repeating the exact same con with leather gloves.

Like those melodramatic buddy movies of the 80s, the friends fall out over ego clashes and disagreements, but are reunited in the end, when -- believe it or not -- they repeat a similar con with a range of defective shirts that they label 'The Bleeding Madras', whose sales go through the roof when they somehow manage to get Michael Jackson to wear one. Packed with lazy clichés and convenient plot-holes, "Badmaash Company" is unforgivably long and insufferably boring. The acting -- from all four leads -- is nothing to speak of, and Sethi's direction is amateurish to put it politely.

The funniest scene in the film takes place in an airplane when an oversexed Vir Das appears to be talking to Anushka Sharma, but his eyes are fixed on her chest. Pulling up her blanket to hide what he seems so distracted by, she says: "These don't speak." This scene appears within the first 15 minutes of the movie, and it's the only time you smile. 

Flogging the infamous Yash Raj Films formula of stylish costumes, gorgeous foreign locations and hip dance numbers, Sethi delivers a film that is entirely superficial and staggeringly dull. I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Parmeet Sethi's "Badmaash Company". Unless you enjoy being punished,

City of Gold Movie Review

Cast: Seema Biswas, Ankush Choudhary, Anousha Dandekar

Director: Mahesh Manjrekar

City of Gold, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, is one of those films that had the potential to be better than it ultimately is.

Adapted from a play by Jayant Pawar, the film examines the plight of Mumbai's mill workers who were rendered redundant in the '80s when the mills shut down to make way for plush malls.

Focusing on one particular family struggling to make ends meet when the closure of the mills robs them of their livelihood, Manjrekar tells a hard-hitting story without pulling back any punches.

You empathize with the mother (played by Seema Biswas) who watches helplessly as her family disintegrates before her very eyes. One son, a struggling playwright toils away at scripts, hoping his work will be noticed soon. Another son loses his bank job after his involvement in a fraud. The unmarried daughter becomes pregnant with the neighborhood grocer's son, who as it turns out, is already married. And the youngest son gets involved with the local underworld.

Manjrekar extracts credible performances from his actors, but sadly there is no one to rein in the director himself. So there are parts of the film that flit between exceedingly melodramatic and impossibly exaggerated, and after a point the director's grim, cynical and utterly despondent perspective fails to ring true.

The core story unfolds in flashback, and is book-ended by present-day portions that are laughably silly. Even the violent climax appears ridiculously contrived.

In the end, the film is salvaged to a fair extent thanks to the arresting performances by the mostly unknown cast -- particularly Veena Jamkar as Seema Biswas' daughter, and Karan Patel as the youngest son who turns to crime. There are also several disturbing scenes that Manjrekar films uncompromisingly -- like the one in which we learn that one of the brothers has sold a kidney to raise money, and the one in which the family discovers their daughter is pregnant. These portions punch you in the gut with their unrestrained intensity.

The film is watchable for the most part, and might have worked perfectly as an honest slice-of-life drama if it weren't for the filmmaker's tendency to go over the top. I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for Mahesh Manjrekar's City of Gold. Watch it because it makes some disturbing yet important points. Watch it also to understand just how compelling it could have been!

Housefull Movie Review

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ritesh Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal

Director: Sajid Khan

'Housefull' is the kind of pedestrian comedy that makes 'Singh Is King' feel like a Woody Allen gem. It's the kind of film that will stop at nothing to get a laugh out of you. So a monkey is slapped and punched, a black baby becomes the butt of a racist joke, and the words "homo" and "gay" are used liberally as a form of insult.

The humor here is strictly low-brow and the gags mostly slapstick. It doesn't help that the director plagiarizes many of his jokes directly from popular American comedies like 'Night at the Museum' and 'Meet The Parents', and even whacks an old gag involving a vacuum cleaner gone beserk from the "Mr Bean" TV series.

The premise itself is a flimsy one centered on a perennially unlucky fellow played by Akshay Kumar, and his misadventures during his search for the perfect bride. In the tradition of similarly dimwitted comedies like "Welcome" and "Golmaal Returns", the screenplay banks on instances of mistaken identities and misunderstandings to take the narrative forward.

Ritesh Deshmukh who stars as Akshay's best friend, is passed off by his wife Lara Dutta as the family cook when her father suddenly shows up unannounced. And Deepika Padukone, who stars as Akshay's girlfriend, must present Lara Dutta as his sister, when Deepika's brother Arjun Rampal decides to pay a visit.

This merry-go-round of madness is neither imaginative nor original, and when the director can't think of any other direction to go with his scenes, he gets his characters to stand in a circle and slap each other repeatedly.

Some genuine laughs are provided by peripheral characters like Chunky Pandey who plays a half-Italian hotel owner named Aakhri Pasta, and Boman Irani who appears as Lara Dutta's farsan-baron father who makes the trip from Gujarat to London to see his estranged daughter.

Of the leads, Akshay Kumar has a few moments of convincing straight-faced humor, but he does nothing new that you haven't seen him do before. The ladies aren't expected to do much more than look comfortable in skimpy beachwear, and Ritesh Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal make for reasonably engaging background distractions.

In all fairness, some jokes do make you laugh but those are few and far between. For the most part 'Housefull' makes you cringe in embarrassment and disgust for what passes off as 'entertainment' and 'cinema' these days. Bereft of craft and style, and lacking in even simple storytelling, the film is a test of your endurance.

Sura movie review

Star cast: Vijay,Tamanna
Music Director: Mani Sharma
Lyricist: Vaali, SP Raj Kumar
Director: SP Raj Kumar

The much anticipated Ilaya Thalapathi starrer Sura hit the marquee today. With Sura being his 50th film, movie buffs and Vijay fans were looking forward for something different from their star. However, there is no variety in the film and it happens to be a usual Vijay fare. The script seems to be a combination from his earlier ventures. Of course, the actor does not disappoint his fans, as Sura has all the elements that will satiate them.

Sura is about the lives and plight of the fishermen living in Yazh Nagar, a fishing hamlet in Tamil Nadu. The story, no doubt centers only on Vijay, who is known as Sura.

It is Vijay’s attempt to thwart the efforts of villain Dev Gill (who played the villain in the popular Telugu film Magadheera) from acquiring the hamlet to develop it into a resort. In chips the hero, fights for justice and dramatically obtains patta for the land so that everyone living there could build a house. However the duel between the hero and villain could have been more gripping.

The role of the heroine in this film leaves a lot of room for debate – is it really essential to have one in Sura? Tamannah appears in some dance sequences, a few scenes and in all adorns the movie as a glamour piece. This is perhaps the first film, where Tamannah marries on screen! Yes, Sura ends on a happy note with the lead pair entering wed lock.

Talking about the heroine, her introduction itself is very amusing. Tamannah attempts suicide by drowning in the sea, for the simple reason that the pet dog goes missing. Of course, the hero makes his dramatic appearance to save her. Somewhere in the middle love blossoms and then follows a couple of duets.

While talking about the hero Vijay’s introduction it is even more amusing than the heroine’s and needs a special mention here. The movie begins with a cyclone hitting the fishing hamlet and the all the fishermen moving back to the shores for safety. Vijay, of course is missing and everyone is in search of him. Being the hero, he saves one and all before making a very dramatic appearance from mid-sea.

The fights in Sura could have been choreographed well, considering Vijay’s performance levels in other films. Though there are some gravity-defying stunts, the fight seems to lack the punch and force that one usually associates with a performer like the Ilaya Thalapathy.

For an excellent dancer, this film offers very little scope for exhibiting his dancing skills too. The Bommayi – Choo Mandra Kali song happens to be that ‘once more’ type of song, while all others except En Peru Saravedi does not turn up the heat.

Vadivelu’s mere presence is enjoyable and there is nothing much to say about the comedy track. The scene where Vennira Aadai Murthy renders the popular song Marudamalai Maamuniye in a concert and Vadivelu gestures not to exert too much but thinking that Vadivelu is coercing him to sing even more forcefully, Vennira Aadai Murthy sings with full gusto, had the audience in splits of laughter.

There are umpteen numbers of irrational scenes in the film that has even the Vijay fans squirm in their seats with dissatisfaction. The classic example is when the actor lights up the stove with the flip of his fingers.

Vijay has made sure to draw the attention of the Tamil audience by addressing the sensitive Sri Lankan Tamils issue and the Rameswaram fishermen’s plight. These scenes were probably included to pacify the Tamils.

The negative aspects of Sura are no doubt the music, illogical, if not slow screenplay, gravity defying stunts, slow moving scenes.

Rettai Suzhi – Tamil Movie Review

Star-casts: K. Balachandar, Bharathiraja, Aari, Anjali, Jayachitra, Manobala, Ilavarasu and others
Direction: Thamira
Music: Karthik Raja

Ramaswamy (K. Balachandar) and Singaravelan (Bharathiraja) belong to the same village and yet have a most brutish regard for each other. Singaravelan, a diehard follower of Communism and Ramaswamy, a congressman have into a long termed contravene for past 40years. Their families are no more friends, though they want to be. But their kids are so deadly in war against each group. When Moorthy (Aari) arrives in town as a military man, his childhood love with cousin girl Susheela (Anjali) is rekindled. Sooner when they find their two elder persons not letting this happen, kids from both the groups join hands together for setting things right.

Having a vast experience as a short fiction writer and dialogue writer, Thamira has written a tale that is mainly centered on kids. In fact, the old men K. Balachandar and Bharathiraja are also been portrayed with childish nature. This is more discernible with the village Panchayat scene where Bharathiraja complaining against KB. The screenplay is quite sluggish that it fails to cater for major group of audiences, especially for the city audiences. Thamira should have slightly modified the narration with the crisp and stylish approach so as to provide a wholesome entertainment.

K. Balachandar and Bharathiraja have just lived under the skin of their characterization. Anjali is cute and lovely to watch. Newcomer Aari has places to go for his talented skill of acting. Manobala and Ilavarasu have done justice to their roles. Jayachitra does not get a full-fledged role. The kids do ham it up on many occasions which could have been avoided.

Good music by Karthik Raja and eye-catching visuals by Karthik Raja emblazons the screens with attraction. Editing is moderate and is done according to the screenplay.

Prince Movie Review

Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Dalip Tahil, Sanjay Kapoor
Director: Kookie Gulati

Prince is director Kookie Gulati's international man of mystery who is modeled on several comic book heroes. The leather-clad lad can safely jump off buildings like ‘Batman’; spin life-saving webs like ‘Spiderman’, but unfortunately can emote no better than 'Pac Man'. There is very little that one can write about this two and a half hour disaster except that it is an extremely tedious watch. In spite of larger than life locations, some backbreaking camerawork and ambitious special effects, 'Prince' ends up being a cinematic 'Pauper'. If one were to list its every failing, the film's script would top the list. The dialog is terrible and the writing cannot make its mind up. Is the film homage to the camp action films of the 70's or is it a slick futuristic thriller?

Vivek Oberoi plays 'Prince', a most wanted international thief. He steals diamonds in a high security enclosure by performing 'daredevil’ stunts like hiding in a chute till the building closes and then springing out to ambush the CC tv security guards. Then he uses 'sophisticated’ gadgetry like a long periscope that rises from a parked van to enter a chamber up in the building. This tube then metamorphoses to become, lo and behold, a giant vacuum cleaner that ingeniously sucks all the diamonds down into the van. ‘Its Showtime’, says Prince with a half smirk.

When 'Prince' loses his memory, several characters enter his life, claiming to know who he is, but 'Prince' doesn’t know whom to believe. Truth is, characters like the snow headed Dileep Tahil and the designer stubble cop Sanjay Kapoor are so caricatured that many in the audience didn’t believe them either Of the three new pretties, all claiming to be Prince’s girlfriend Maya, Nandana Sen probably leaves the biggest impression. This is partly achieved because of her strange hairstyle and chalky make-up, making her look like a cross between a hairy 'Lhasa Apso' and a painted 'Geisha'. While Sen sometimes seems uncomfortable in her leather boots, she plays the trigger happy 'Maya' with some relish. Niroo Singh's portrayal of Maya looks like an extended item number that danced its way into the script and Aruna Murty, though beautiful, emotes less than the inanimate 'coin' that all and sundry in this tired thriller are looking for just what this coin does and why an embedded microchip in its mould could hold the key to 'Prince's lost memories is a question you may ask right till the end of this leather fest. Much to the ire of innocent cows, designer Narendra Kumar Ahmad dresses his entire cast in leather jackets and over coats. Yet, there is no heat for this cold meat.

In spite of frenetic editing and tiresome action sequences, the narrative lacks the energy that one expects from a thriller. The music of the film is insipid; more suited to the skin fest music videos that one was subjected to on television a few years ago. Director Kookie Gulati sets up some spectacular Hollywood style sequences but doesn’t do much with his actors. The cast awkwardly stumbles its way around Sukant Panigarhy’s impressive sets.

Oberoi seems influenced by Tom Cruise in 'Mission Impossible' & 'Minority Report' and the script seems influenced by Oberoi's dire need of a hit film. Everything possible that can be done to project Oberoi as a super hero is done, including the Bondesque ploy of accessorizing him with three pretty newbie’s, super gadgets, hot wheels and loaded guns. The film even has an evil villain that sports re-bonded hair and a mechanical hand.

Phoonk 2 Movie Review

Cast: Anu Ansari, Ahsaas Channa, Jeeva, Amruta Khanvilkar, Amit Sadh, Vikas Shrivastav, Neeru Singh, Sudeep, Ganesh Yadav

Director: Milind Gadagkar

In Phoonk 2, which opens this week, the crazy woman with bloodshot eyes and a shrill cackle returns to torment the family that barely survived her black-magic in the last film. I know what you're thinking - they killed her in the previous film, didn't they? Well technically they did, but this time she's back as a spirit seeking revenge, and she's got herself a frizzy hair-do too.

Madhu, played hysterically by Ashwini Kalsekar in Ramgopal Varma's Phoonk, doesn't get as much screen time in the sequel. But compared to this dumb family that moves into another large spooky house -- this one in the middle of a jungle, by the way -- give me the crazy lady any day! Sudeep is back as the head of this family that moves into a sprawling Alibaug bungalow where strange things begin to happen after his young daughter brings home an abandoned doll she finds in the jungle one day. Expect lots of tilted camera angles, tight close-ups and a slow-building background score.

Unfortunately there's very little in terms of plot progression, and barely any novelty or imagination in the manner that characters get killed in this film. The body count piles up, but it's all done so predictably it deprives you of guilty pleasure even.

Written and directed by Milind Gadagkar who wrote the previous installment, Phoonk 2 is what you'd describe as Ramgopal Varma-lite. The thrills and scares are few and far between. They could have made this film in their sleep. Who knows, they probably did!

Paathshala Movie Review

Cast: Nana Patekar, Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, Saurabh Shukla, Sunil Shetty.

Director: Milind Ukey

Could it really be possible that no one who read the script of Paathshala had the good sense to recognize that it needed a lot more work before they decided to go out and shoot the damn thing?

Indeed, Paathshala starring Nana Patekar and Shahid Kapoor, appears to have originated from an earnest idea, but one that's developed into a dimwitted, harebrained film. Intended as a comment on the commercialization of educational institutions, the film traces the efforts of a group of committed teachers to stand up against a greedy management that wants to turn their school into a profitable business venture.

Shahid Kapoor stars as a sincere English teacher who leads the students and his fellow colleagues to demand an explanation from the school's righteous principal (played solemnly by Nana Patekar) on his uncharacteristic approval of the management's unethical money-making ways.

Saurabh Shukla appears as the school's ruthless administrator who hikes fees randomly, stocks unhealthy processed foods in the canteen, and hires an image-building agency to raise the school's profile by admitting students into grueling reality shows and talent contests.

The film's naïve script includes moments of sheer melodrama and over-exaggeration in its effort to shamelessly manipulate you into caring for its characters. There's a scene in which a television show director jumps excitedly out of his seat and instructs his cameraman to zoom in when a little girl accidentally gets chilly powder in her eyes, because that's the kind of drama that television supposedly thrives on. In another scene, a young boy is made to stand out all day in the sweltering heat because his father hasn't been able to pay up the suddenly increased school fees. There's also track in which a boy with a dark birthmark on his face is isolated by his classmates until good-Samaritan Shahid teaches them the meaning of friendship using a litter of puppies to make his point.Oddly, the film ends with no resolution in sight, which makes that long, noble speech by Nana Patekar seem quite pointless after all. 

It's clear the makers of this film had the seed of a good idea, but lacked the skills to turn it into an engaging film. I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Milind Ukey's Paathshala. It's a frustratingly foolish film; and judging by the indifferent performances of both Nana Patekar and Shahid Kapur, it appears they were just as bored acting in this movie as you are watching it.

Hiding Control Panel Setting Pages

It is possible to hide specific settings pages from within the Control Panel. Sometimes, such a features cannot only be a great security features, but can also restrict user's movements to a great security features, but can also restrict a user's movement to great extent. this hidden windows feature can be made active by simply following the steps below.

1. Open regedit.exe.file
2. Search  for HKEY_CURRENT-USER\ControlPanel\don't load
3. For each Control Panel settings pages that you wish to hide, create a new string entry whose name is the as the settings page's corresponding .cpl filename. Please refer to the table in the previous example for complete filename list.
4. Set the data value of the string entry to No to hide the control panel setting page and to Yes to display it
5. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.   

For all Windows Version
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully. 

Security Checklist

1. Checklist for choosing a strong password

• Your password should not be a word that appears in the dictionary(to prevent dictionary based attacks).
• Your password should not be blank or same as user name.
• Your password should be a combination of alphabets, numbers and special characters. Ideally, one should try and use both lowercase and uppercase characters.
• Your password should not be your name followed by your birth date. For example, one should not have password like ankit2405.
• Your passwords should not be repeated.
• Your password MUST be changed regularly.
• Yours password should not be written on a post-it note or a piece of paper stuck on your monitor or behind your cpu.
• You should not use the same password at multiple places.
• Your password should not be that random that even you forget it yourself.

2. Checklist for securing a home computer(basic)

• Run Windows Update at least once a week to patch your system against the latest vulnerabilities, loopholes and exploits.
• Use a strong password (Refer to earlier checklist).
• Install some good anti virus software and update its virus definition files at least once a week to ward off the latest viruses, worm and trojan.
• Install a basic firewall (like Zonealaram, BlackIce or your favorite antivirus software's inbulit firewall) on your system. This shall keep you notified of any live attacks, malicious, data or probes.
• Try to connect to the internet only after connecting to a proxy server.
• Install a Anti-spyware tool on your computer which will detect and removed any spyware tools on yours computer.

Disabling the cancel button in the password prompt

Almost all Windows system have an option of enabling multiple users on the same system and using the username - password  pair to authenticate the identity of specific users. Unfortunately, on older versions of windows, a user can easily bypass the logon password prompt by simply clicking on the cancel button. Hence, many system administrators have started forcing users to logon by implementing a small registry tweak 

1. Open regedit.exe.file

2. Search for HKEY_USERS\DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

3. Create a new string entry named NoLogon and set its data value to:

     RUNDLL32 shell32,SHExitWindowsEx 0 

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  
 

For Windows 98,95 and ME
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Blocking Windows Hotkeys

It is possible to prevent users from using the windows shortcut hotkeys like ALT + TAB and other by simply following steps below

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Scroll down to or create the following registry key   

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

3. Create a new DWORD value named NoWinKeys  within the above registry key and set its data

    value to '1' to disable the windows hotkey, and '0' to enable it.

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  

For all Windows Version

Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Allowing Quick Reboot

It is possible to allow user to use the quick reboot function to start windows again without completely shutting it down. This quick reboot option can be enabled with the help of the following registry tweak.

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Create a new string entry called EnableQuickReboot and set its data value to '1' to enable the quick
    reboot option and to '0' to disable it   
4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  
For Windows 2000 and NT
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Disabling the Change Password Option

It is possible to disable the change password option on the security page by simply executing the following registry tweak

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3. Create a new DWORD entry named DisableChangePassword and set its data value to '0' to disable
    the change password option and to '1' to enable it again.
4. Similarly, it is also possible to create another DWORD entry named DisableLockWorkstation that
    can be used to prevent user from locking machines accidentally or intantionally
5. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied.  

For Windows 2000,NT ,ME and XP
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Tum Milo Movie Review

Cast: Nana Patekar,Mohnish Bahl, Amit Behl, Vrajesh Hirjee, Dimple Kapadia
Director: Kabir Sadanand

Anyone who's spent a lazy afternoon tucking into the delicious sali boti at Britannia or the cherry cream custard at Kyani can appreciate the climatic conflict of Tum Milo Toh Sahi, in which an old-fashioned Irani cafe must be saved from a greedy corporate giant that wants to turn it into one of those homogenized coffee shop franchises.

Had this been the basic premise of director Kabir Sadanand's film instead of its predictable take on contemporary relationships, Tum Milo Toh Sahi might not have turned out the mangled mess that it has.

Dimple Kapadia hams it up as Dilshad, the garrulous Parsi owner of the café, who develops an easy friendship with Nana Patekar's cranky Subramanium who has an almost Norman Bates-like obsession with his dead mother. Sunil Shetty and Vidya Malvade play a constantly bickering married couple Amit and Anita, who clash over his long working hours and their inability to agree on how to raise their son. Finally, Rehan Khan and Anjana Sukhani play young collegians Bikramjit and Shalini, faced with your typical Bollywood cliché -- they must traverse the film's skull-boring song-and-dance routine till they realize they are in love.

Predictably, it's the relationship between the senior characters that is most engaging, thanks to a consistent performance by Nana Patekar, who plays to the gallery with his quirky characterization.Suniel Shetty delivers the film's most embarrassing performance with his accented dialogue delivery and awkward body language. His garbled words are hard to figure out most of the time, and his over-acting in this film consolidates his position in the hall of shame alongside fellow doorknobs Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan and Bobby Deol.

To be honest, except for Nana Patekar and to some extent Rehan Khan who pitches in an earnest turn, the entire cast of this film grates with annoying performances and bad accents. Even a child actor who plays Dilshad's Australia-returned grandson deserves some serious neck-wrangling for his mutilation of the English language in the name of an Aussie twang.

If there's anything more infuriating than the acting in this film, it's the distracting background score that qualifies as sheer noise. Raghav Sachar, who famously holds the distinction of playing some 30-odd musical instruments, is credited with composing the background score which sounds like plates and glasses being smashed against walls.

This film is intended as a warm drama about love in a big city, but the script never quite gets around to achieving that. I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Kabir Sadanand's Tum Milo Toh Sahi. Since coffee is used as a metaphor to bring people together in this movie, I suggest you spike yours with a large shot of whiskey to make the pain of watching this a little easier.

Paiyaa Movie Review

Cast: Karthi, Thamanna and Milind Soman

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Direction: Linguswamy

If a person gets a golden opportunity to travel with his beloved and happens to face all sorts of adversities during the journey, what will he do? This forms the story of the much-awaited Tamil flick, Payya, directed by Linguswamy.

The journey starts from Bengaluru and ends in Mumbai. The protagonist of the movie Siva (Paruthiveeran fame Karthi) comes to Bengaluru seeking a job and lives with his friends. He happens to meet Charu (Thamanna), accidentally in a bus and falls in love at first sight. Siva meets her several times, but fails to express his desire. In an interesting twist, Siva offers Charu and her friend a lift at a railway station, with the pretext of a being taxi driver.

During the journey, when the companion is away, Charu requests Siva to drive away the car. Siva is excited and their journey starts. Charu tells him that a group of goons are on the lookout for her and the companion was the leader. Siva volunteers his support and assures that he will drop Charu at her grandmother’s place in Mumbai. The screenplay gears up after this, several twist and turns follow. As expected, on the way, both develop a good relationship and it later blooms to beautiful love.

A group headed by Mumbai underworld don Bali, played by Milind Soman, is on the look out for the duo. At one point, both the gangs join hands to get hold of Siva and Charu. How they reach Mumbai and what happens thereafter forms the climax.

Paruthiveeran fame Karthi has once again proved his ability as a versatile actor, not as a rustic hero this time, but as an unemployed, educated youth. Striking beauty Thammana also does justice to the role. She has proven herself competent enough in replacing Nayantara, who was supposed to do the role earlier.

The black car, in which the lead pair travels, has been converted into the third lead character. Picturisation within the car is brilliant and the chase scenes are also remarkable. Kudos to cinematographer Mathi for that.Music director Yuvan Shankar Raja delivers a good score. Power-packed stunt sequences by Kanal Kannan and the nail-baiting chase scenes are the highlight of the film. Editing by Anthony is an added attraction.

One may feel bored watching similar shots of the car that slows down the pace of the film at some point, but the movie and the story demands the same. Though, lengthy action sequences are definitely a drawback. Also, songs have not been picturised appealingly. Altogether, Payya is a commercial flick which would definitely attract spectators to the theatres.

Disabling the Windows Screensaver

It is possible to completely disable the windows screen saver from running by simply following this undermentioned steps

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\ControlPanel\Desktop
3. Within the above register Key, Create a new DWORD value named ScreenSaveActive and set its value to '0' to block the screensaver.
4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the change to be applied.

For all Windows Version
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Requiring CTRL + ALT + DEL to be Pressed Before Login

 It is possible to force users to press the CTRL + ALT + DEL keys before the login authentication process begins on a windows system. This additional security feature can be enabled by following th undermentioned steps 

1. Open regedit.exe.file

2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

3. Create a new DWORD entry called DisableCAD and modify its data value to '0' to requrie 

    CTRL+ALT+DEL keys to be pressed and to '1' to disable this feature.

4.Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied

For Windows 2000 and XP
Note: We will update day by day  in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Allow Shut Down From The Password Prompt

It is Possible to allow user to shutdown the system at the password prompt dialog box by simply executing the following registry tweaks.

1. open regedit.exe.file
2. Search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
3.Create a new DWORD entry called ShutdownWithoutLogon and change its data value to '1' to allow
user to shut down from the login prompt itself.
4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the changes to be applied. The next
time you boot the system, a shutdown button shall be displayed along with the regular details

For Windows 2000,NT and XP
Note: We will update day by day in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Windows Ethical Hacking

Protecting User Privacy at Logon Prompts:

   Normally, at the time of logging into a windows system, it is possible to find out inforation on the last user since his/her details are stored in the cache memory. It is always a good security and privacy to prevent this information from being displayed by executing the following registry tweak

1. Run -> regedit
2. a. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSFT\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
        (For windows 2000 or XP).
    b. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Network\Logon (For windows 95,98 or ME).
    c. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSFT\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

3. Create a new DWORD value (within the above registry key) called DontDisplayLastUserName and set its

    value to '1' to prevent the last username from displaying and to '0' to implement the default settings

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the change to be applied.

Improving Password Security Setting:

    The biggest security loophole plaguing system across the world in the tendency of user to choose a poor password. Hence a number of system administrator prefer to force user to use a strong password through a small but effective registry tweak. 

1. Open the regedit.exe file
2. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
    (For Specific Users Only)
                                                 OR
   HKEY_CURRENT_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network
   (For the Entire Machine)

3. Create a new DWORD value (within the above registry key ) called AlphanumPeds and set its value to '1',

    to allow only alphanumeric password and to '0' to disable this feature. By default, windows accepts any 

    kind of password. However, once this option has been enabled, the windows shall accept only 

    alphanumeric password.

4. Exit the windows registry and restart the windows session for the change to be applied.

 Note: We will update day by day  in PC tips
Hint: Use the above details carefully.

Angadi Theru Movie review

Star-casts: Mahesh, ‘Katradhu Tamizh’ Anjali, A. Venkatesh and others
Direction: Vasantha Balan
Music: G.V. Prakash, Vijay Anthony

Vasantha Balan’s unique way of projecting realism has been his highlighting USP. If ‘Veyil’ was all about contrastive scenarios of triumphs and failures in the lives of two brothers, he’s back with a powerful bang in ‘Angadi Theru’, which speaks about the other side of T. Nagar.

It’s been more off clichés, where our film protagonists head from their villages to Chennai seeking for fortune and indeed fetch it. But Vasantha Balan takes us through a journey with anguishes of youngsters in textile showrooms of Chennai, whose lives are downtrodden and quite pathetic.

Abuse and oppression is what these salespersons are exposed to and how the lead characters survive the badgerings has been well depicted in ‘Angadi Theru’. But anything in excess is too difficult to handle, isn’t? In simple terms, ‘Angadi Theru’ is an excess baggage of overdosed emotions and pathos.

An unexpected demise of his father in an accident leaves Jyothi Lingam (Mahesh) desolated. Drenched in a high-risk situation, Lingam leaves to Chennai along with his friend Maarimuthu as they get employed in the one of the biggest textile showrooms in T. Nagar. But life isn’t easy as they expected as hundreds of salesmen and women are prone to inhumanity like reducing a rupee for every minute they’re late to office. Girls are molested if they’re found playing during business time.

On the different segments, we are introduced to various characters of a lame husband and wife, an underprivileged person’s sudden change of fortune with a public toilet. Every character has its own joyousness, upheavals and how they overcome it….Hard-hitting dialogues penned by Jaya Mohan impinges straight into your heart, sometimes wrenches it.

Especially, the perfect reason behind lame man’s wife on giving birth to a handicapped child leaves you stunned. Of course, it deserves a grand round of applause. Vasantha Balan has to thank his technicians for the ability of discerning his motives. Richard’s cinematography is sharp, exquisite and elegant and the shots captured through hidden cameras have been done awesomely. Vijay Anthony’s ‘Aval Appadi’ is dulcetly resplendent while his background score could’ve been better.

On the performance level, newcomer Magesh has put forth his best efforts, emoting with right momentums. His simplistic comeliness over the screens is appreciable while his outbursts at valid situations are commendable. Anjali comes up with an overpoweringly stunning performance as her overall acting will win her accolades. The others in supporting roles including director A. Venkatesh as the cruel manager have done justice to their roles.

Well Done Abba Movie Review

Cast: Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Sammir Dattani, Ila Arun, Sonali Kulkarni and Ravi Kishen

Director: Shyam Benegal 

Two years after giving us the delightfully heartwarming Welcome To Sajjanpur, director Shyam Benegal returns with another social satire set in a small village in the Indian heartland. Well Done Abba stars Boman Irani as chauffeur Armaan Ali, who takes a month's leave from his job in Mumbai to visit his native village Chikatpali near Hyderabad to fix his daughter's marriage. Once there, he decides to avail of a government scheme to have a well dug on his patch of agricultural land. The film follows Armaan Ali over three months, as he navigates through all the corruption and greed involved in a seemingly simple procedure, and yet ends up with no well.

As has always been the filmmaker's biggest strength, Well Done Abba is populated with a bunch of engaging characters, particularly Ravi Kissen's sex-crazed civil engineer who's forever fantasizing about his wife getting breast implants, and Ila Arun's shrill-voiced local swindler.

Benegal trusts important roles in the hands of younger actors like Minnisha Lamba, who plays Armaan Ali's feisty daughter Muskaan, and Sammir Dattani who appears as a car mechanic who develops a soft spot for her. Both characters help Armaan Ali turn the tables on the corrupt bureaucrats, but both actors sadly fail to deliver compelling performances.

While the director has continually succeeded in addressing important social issues even while telling lighthearted personal tales, Well Done Abba appears to be bursting at its seams with too many messages about women's rights, communal harmony, rural education and the right to information act. Despite some genuinely comic portions in which Benegal exposes the extent of double dealing and bribery involved in Indian rural politics, the film as a whole is hard to enjoy because of its sluggish pace, and because of your inability to empathize with Armaan Ali.

Boman Irani delivers an earnest performance in his double role here, but the characters slip too easily into caricature, making it especially hard to connect with Armaan Ali's pathos.

Hum Tum Aur Ghost Movie Review

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza and Boman Irani

Director: Kabeer Kaushik

 

Hum Tum Aur Ghost, starring Arshad Warsi as a guy who can see and hear dead people, is intended as a light-hearted comedy. Unfortunately the script -- credited to Arshad himself, and evidently inspired from the Hollywood rib-tickler Ghost Town -- drains out much of the fun that could be had with this promising premise. 

The screenplay, to begin with, takes too long to arrive at the core conflict, which involves Arshad's character -- Armaan, a photographer in Newcastle -- agreeing to help two good-natured spirits fulfill their final wishes. But before the film even gets to that point, nearly an hour or so is devoted to establishing the relationship between Armaan and his incredibly patient girlfriend Gehna (played by Dia Mirza).

Girlfriends like Gehna are hard to find. She sticks faithfully by her man even though he's a compulsive alcoholic, he's way too friendly with his female assistant and, as a psychiatrist later tells her, he might be schizophrenic too! Gehna has a full-time job as the editor of a fashion glossy, but you rarely see her doing any work. On the odd occasion that you catch her at her workplace, she's either arguing with her boyfriend or discussing her relationship status with her father. No wonder she can roll out her stroller and set off without so much as a leave application when Armaan asks her to join him on a trip to Goa to search for the missing child of a spirit he's promised to help.

Hum Tum Aur Ghost,suffers primarily on account of its inconsistent tone. The film might have worked as an irreverent comedy, but much of it is treated as an emotional drama, resulting in several contrived scenes that fall flat on their face. Even the humour works mostly when it's done smartly and subtly, and not as effectively in the film's slapstick portions -- like the one in which Armaan disguises himself and visits a bank, only to be confronted by the son of the very man he is impersonating.

Ultimately the film is predictable and tiring because it's an interesting idea that's been stretched way beyond its potential. The usually dependable Arshad Warsi delivers a few light moments, and Boman Irani as a friendly ghost helps muster up a couple of laughs. But director Kabeer Kaushik, who gave us the gripping cop drama Sehar, doesn't seem to have the light-handed touch required to turn this flimsly concept into a fun-filled ride.

Mundhinam Paartheney Movie Review

Cast: Sanjay, Ekta, Lizna, Pooja.

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Mundhinam Paartheney is a typical love story which narrates the love of two typical upper middle-class youths in an almost realistic manner. It gives a bloom feeling. The story and the treatment of the story are fresh and refreshing amidst the cliched movies.

Sanjay is a software professional and is in madly love with a dance teacher Aarthi. It is a one-sided love affair. Aarti is very much anxious about her dancing career and dreams of going to London to establish her career. Moreover she bears some family liabilities too. But Sanjay some weay or the other say his love to her. But at first she keeps back from him and just evade from his love. But later on seeing sanjay’s sincere love Aati too start to love him.

All remains fine and well until Sanjay comes to hear something about Aarti’s personal life. He becomes very shocked and started avoiding Aarti. He even disclosed her life incident to others and made a mock of her. Insulted Aarti found it too hard to digest all this. Instead of finding out what is the fact, Sanjay’s attitude pained her. She herself started moving away from Sanjay and slowly they gets separated. Later Sanjay marries another girl who loved him deeply. But it was too late for him when he recognized the fact behind Aarti’s life and the incident. By that time Aarti was too far for him. With a tragic love failure Sanjay then lives with his tragic memories.

Director Thirumaeni has portrayed the life and living of urban upper middle class youth in a natural manner. The affair between Sanjay and Aarti and the way it takes roots and grows stronger has been depicted in a mature and convincing manner. The song sequences have been shot aesthetically.

Sanjay impress the audience with his cool handling of a not so challenging role. The tall and sexy Ekta enacts her role with confidence. Her body language and expression is very impressive. The bubbly looking Lizna is charming with her cute expressions.

The director has proved his mettle by sensitively handing the subject love. His courage to cast new faces and the realistic way he has depicted the story is commendable. The screenplay, which drags at times, is the only drawback with the movie. Taman’s music is reasonably good with some sweet melodies. In short the film is worth watching.

Kacheri Arambam Movie Review

Star-casts: Jeeva, Poonam Bajwa, J.D. Chakravarthy, Vadivelu, Azhagam Perumal and others

Direction: Thiraivannan

Music: D. Imman

Jeeva's attempt to project himself in unique roles has won him astounding laurels. By nature, he was often accredited as a special actor for his ability to come up with such spellbinding looks and performance from film-to-film. In spite of some of those movie not yielding favorable results at box office, they have been his most important stepping stones of success.

Doubtlessly, his sudden plans over hop-skipping into different arenas of commercial potboilers were indeed a good thought. But almost all his commercial flicks except 'Siva Manasula Sakthi' have been an ostentatious show that falls on the same lines.

'Kacheri Arambam' isn't an elision. From the start-till-the-end, it offers a moment to recollect the sequences from yesteryear Tamil blockbusters. Oops! Why don't our filmmakers come up with an interesting story rather flattering the heroes merely for the sake of signing their home banners? It's an unanswerable question as even most of the reigning filmmakers of Kollywood have beating around the same bush.

The film opens over a train journey where Paari (Jeeva) and director Thiraivannan boasting about this film to be a commercial entertainer, which is followed by a flashback taking us to his native land of Ramnad.

Being a good-hearted savior, Paari gives away his ducky products and monetary aids to those, who are in need of it. (Just as his name 'Paari' signifies the ancient characterization of Paari Vallal). With an unavoidable tiff breaking out between the guy and his dad (Azhagam Perumal), he sets out to Chennai with money-spinning mottos.

Chennai has unexpected plans for him as he comes across a beautiful girl Madhi (Poonam Bajwa) and falls in love with her at first sight. Within short span of time, a load of henchmen set forth on a show of smashing down Paari.

Sooner, he comes to notice that Madhi is going through troublesome moments as a topmost don of Chennai – Sivamani (J.D. Chakravarthy) has hard-pressed her to marry him.

Rest of the story doesn't need an illustration as even a 5-year old kid can guess the narration in second half.

First thing first! Jeeva tries to prove his success with a commercial formula, which doesn't work at the least. He can better choose to go around with films like ‘Siva Manasula Sakthi’ or else a challenging role as in ''Ee' This is not a right script for Jeeva and director Thiraivannan disappoints us badly. Poonam Bajwa looks bubbly and yet that alone cannot keep her in our attention and she must really work hard to bring out right emotions. Vadivelu strives saving the ship from sinking down and to be precise, the complete first half belongs to him. J.D. Chakravarthy engrosses us intensely, but moves down with weaker depiction during second half.

Maathi Yosi Movie Review

Cast: Harish, Alex, Gopal, Visak, Shammu
Director: Nandha Periyasamy
Music Director: Guru Kalyan

Maathi Yosi means "think differently". Hence, one expects something new in the film. Director Nandha Periyasamy's second directorial venture after Oru Kalluriyin Kathai (2005) does have something new in the form of backdrop, but it doesn't have anything new in the narrative.

Set in the backdrop of a Dalit colony, film portrays prevailing caste equation well. Four adolescent youths from a Dalit colony are full of mischief and looking for opportunities to pester others. They kill a lizard, a rabbit and rob a van passing through the village. Soon they become the targets of police for various crimes and ruptures.

One day, a little Dalit girl, who cleans the temple car (chariot) in the village, joins them. She is punished by the upper caste people for spoiling the sanctity of the lord. The four boys get angry and abduct Lord Murugan along with the chariot and bring him inside their colony.

Angry upper caste people launch an attack on the boys with the help of police. The boys escape from the clutches of police, teach a lesson to the landlord and find their way to Chennai.

In the city, they steal to survive. Along the way, they get a revolver and bump into a girl called Shammu. They are forced to save her from the clutches of her greedy uncle.

The initial village scenes evoke interest, but it wanes once the boys land up in Chennai. The director, who calls upon to think differently, ironically falls into the trap of cliched formula to make the movie interesting.
Logic takes a backseat and interest created by initial scenes disappears after the entry of Shammu's character. It looks silly to see the city-bred modern girl moving around with a bunch of raw-looking youths who don't even bother to put on their shirts.

Editor Kola Baskar has done a good job and cinematographer Vijay Armstrong too has managed to capture the beauty of rural areas. Debutant music director Guru Kalyan's background score passes muster and his songs leave much to be desired.
Among the actors, Ravi Maria who plays Shammu's uncle, takes the cake with the casual portrayal of his character. Others too have done well, but have been badly hit by the shoddy screenplay.

Starting promisingly by focusing on the casteist problem, the films goes wayward and loses its opportunity to be an unique movie.

Lahore Movie Review

Cast: Nafisa Ali, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Kelly Dorji, Pramod Muthu, Shraddha Nigam and Nirmal Pandey

Director: Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan

Using the sport of kickboxing as a new premise to tell an old story, Lahore is a slickly directed first film by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan that sadly offers too simplistic and idealistic a solution to the India-Pakistan problem.

Part vendetta story, part message movie, Lahore stars newcomer Aanahad as a revenge-seeking younger brother who steps into the ring to vanquish the Pakistani kickboxer who killed his older sibling using foul means.

It's an engaging drama, convincingly performed and thrillingly shot, but let down by a script packed with convenient lapses of logic, and caricatured characterisation.

Careful not to indulge in that Gadar-style blatant Pak-bashing, the film nevertheless makes its point clearly, pitting Indian sportsmanship against Pakistan's win-at-all-costs ethos.

What holds your attention in the end are the gripping kickboxing scenes that are filmed so effectively, you literally find yourself transported to the centre of the action. The performances are appropriately restrained -- particularly Farooque Shaikh as the Hyderabadi-accented coach, and Sushant Singh as the ill-fated professional kickboxer -- but the film fails to leave a lasting impression because it doesn't say anything that you haven't already heard before.

I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five and an average rating for director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan's Lahore. It's well-intentioned, has its heart in the right place, and it's an engaging enough watch. But it never rises above that to become a film that could truly make a difference.

Yathumagi Movie Review

Cast: Sachin, Sunaina, Azhagan Thamizhmani, Riyaz Khan

Director: Balakumar

Music Director: James Vasanthan

A lingering, soft romantic story has been told in a lacklustre manner in Yathumagi, robbing it of the beautiful feeling that usually stays with viewers after watching a movie of this genre. In the film, Sachin plays an advertisement photographer who belongs to a rich family. But his problem is that wherever he goes, he invariably gets into trouble and is bailed out by his powerful family. He never thinks before embarking on any mission.

Sunaina is a simple girl, whose world revolves around her family members and the inevitable idiot-box. She falls in love with Sachin, but the mercurial young man ignores her feelings.

Eventually Sachin falls in love with her, but his ever-so-callous attitude poses threat to their relationship when some relatives turn against them. What happens in the end is revealed in the climax, but not in so enterprising manner.

It seems due to lack of imagination, director Balakumar has presented many sequences in a cliched manner and it reminds audiences of the scenes they have watched umpteen times in several movies in different languages.

The reason shown for Sunania falling in love with Sachin is childish.Sachin fails to impress with his performance. It seems he hasn't effort to look 'different' and wear varying expressions in the sequences.

Sunaina looks amazingly beautiful and absolutely ravishing in the typical Tamil costume, paavadai-dhaavani. Her facial expressions and her picture-perfect image are the highlights of the otherwise dud fare. She has also made a decent attempt to act and passes off in her facial expressions.

Azhagan Thamizhmani as Sunaina's father goes over the top while enacting his part. Riyaz Khan, who plays Sunaina's brother, has been wasted in an insignificant role.
James Vasanthan has churned out few melodious numbers. Kudos to him!

Director Balakumar falters very badly with his screenplay and dialogues. In short, Yathumagi is a dull fare.

Shaapit Movie Review

Cast: Aditya Narayan, Shweta Aggarwal, Rahul Dev

Director: Vikram Bhatt

Ask anyone and they'll tell you that the cardinal rule for a horror film is -- Keep it short! At an agonizing 2 hours and 20-odd minutes, that is just the first of many rules that director Vikram Bhatt breaks in his new film Shaapit.

The movie stars newcomers Aditya Narayan and Shweta Aggarwal as a much-in-love couple that discovers they cannot be together. Problem is our heroine hails from a family of royal ancestry that's been cursed some 300 years ago that their daughters shall never marry.

Why they don't decide to spare everyone the trouble by simply living in together, is a question that's never answered. Instead, Aditya hunts down a professor of paranormal studies (played by Rahul Dev) and urges him to help drive away the curse.

What follows is a cross-country adventure that includes a visit to a haunted library, a burnt-down cinema-hall, an ancient rural jail, a royal museum, and finally a river palace. By this time you're wondering how many Red Bulls the actors have consumed, because even if they don't appear exhausted, you most certainly are.

All along our protagonists are chased by spirits and ghosts, and shortly after intermission the heroine finds herself in a coma. The boys meanwhile are tossing around tennis balls with cryptic messages and religious amulets with secret scriptures, all in the hope of cracking the curse which is inexplicably linked to an incident in the very distant past involving a palace murder. By the time this film finally ends, and the heroine awakes from her comatose state, you feel like you might be slipping into one yourself!

Shaapit suffers from a convoluted plot that flits from occult and witchcraft to science-fiction and palace intrigue. Rahul Dev's character, Professor Pashupathi, is meant to decode the film's paranormal activity for you, but good lord, can that man talk! For all his so-called expertise, it's ironical that he's the only principal character that's killed in this film!

The performances of the actors are uniformly bland, save for Aditya Narayan who at least has screen presence to speak of. Unfortunately the film and its characters take themselves way too seriously, and hence there are few opportunities to enjoy the ride.

I'm going with one-and-a-half out of five for director Vikram Bhatt's Shaapit. Horror films are meant to get your heart racing pumping. At the end of this film, you'll have to check for your pulse.

Thambikku Indha Ooru Movie Reviews

Cast: Bharath, Sana Khan, Madalasa Sharma, Prabhu, Vivek,Ranjith, Sampath Raj, Livingston, Aarthi
Director: Badri
Music Director: Dharan

Overloaded promos, Bharath’s viral marketing about his new makeovers and dozens of yesteryear actors in the posters. Maybe, it could’ve let you draw a brief perception that director Badri has crafted out an interesting commercial entertainer.

But, as you walk out of theatres, it’s a mere disappointment. The film doesn’t boast about anything special as director Badri has coalesces whole lot of ingredients from whole lot of Tamil films presenting with Tollywood-fangled touch. More than all Bharath’s unbearable gestures that often annoys us to a greater extent.

Making it simple! ‘Thambikku Indha Ooru’ doesn’t even posses a single attribute to praise about.

The film is about Akil (Bharath) owning a South Indian restaurant in Singapore with a sidekick Kumar (Vivek). When his father (Nizhalgal Ravi) arranges marriage with Priya (Madhalasa), their family friend, Akil doesn’t accept the proposal saying that he has fallen in love with a squash champion Divya (Sana Khan).

Now, a secret breaks out that Akil is an orphan. But then, the foster reveals that his biological parents are still alive somewhere near outskirts of Chennai. On the course of searching for his parents, he also tries to convince Divya’s dad, which isn’t an easy thing to accomplish with. Meanwhile, he comes across a hooligan Kumaraswamy (Prabhu).

With the intentions of mingling so many plots, Badri tests your patience irksomely.

Nothing much to analyze on the film’s narrative or technical aspects. The only hope was Dharan, who had delivered some good tunes in the past, but dashes down our hopes. The cinematography looks is over-bleached at many sequences and editing is quite amateur.

Bharath has to strictly undergo a crash course in acting. If he has plans about sustaining his presence in film industry, he must get serious and not so careless. Choosing a right script, underplaying his role would surely win him credits as he has the ability to do it. Sana Khan and Madhalasa are meant for nothing while Prabhu’s involvement for the sake of monetary gains isn’t worth appreciable. Vivek’s ridiculous comedy tracks are stereotyped and may not receive felicitations.