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.