SARPATTA PARAMBARAI

Director: Pa Ranjith

Cast; Arya, Dushara Vijayan, Pasupathy

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Arya as Kabilan is all set to deliver that knock out punch, to the enemy within and the enemies in general. Brace for engaging bouts”

The weather was freezing outside on a Wednesday night, the day was very exhaustive and tiresome and body was badly yearning for a good sleep and was on a discussion on favorite movies on Clubhouse as I was slowly slipping into sleep. Just got a alert from friend that Sarpatta Parambarai is out and streaming on Amazon. I was in two minds, to sleep or watch the movie for few minutes. (Thanks to OTT release) and then continue next day. The moment I saw the length was 2 hrs. 53 minutes, my resolve to go to bed became stronger as the movie started with no special ‘Hero Entry’ for Arya as we are used to with other hero oriented films. Just few minutes into the movie, and my sleepiness vanished and even after 2AM when I finished watching the movie, it took a very long time for me to sleep. That was the impact.

 

After two back to back ordinary films with super star, Pa Ranjith finally returns to what he is best at. The story revolves around boxing competitions in Madras ruled by upper class clans and to suppress the efforts of working class competitors, Sarpattai boxers at an arm’s length, literally. All this drama inside the ring and outside is set during mid-70 political crisis, emergency in addition. How Kabilan (Arya) emerges as a boxer to reckon with, and how he manages to almost, yeah almost defeats Vembuli (John Koken)  before things take a wild turn…form the most part until the Interval.

The 2^nd half is equally interesting as the drama in and around Kabilan’s world is very interesting and engaging on his journey downhill. How Kabilan will fight the enemy within, enemies in his clan and the enemies in general before he regains what was abruptly snatched away from him, take you on an interesting trip towards climax amidst Pa Ranjith’s typical Madras premise.      

 

The biggest strength of the movie is characters played almost by everyone will leva a mark in your thoughts for days to come. Kabilan’s wife Mariamma (Dushara Vijayan) is too good, like wise Pasupathy as coach, John Vijay as daddy, Brilliant Shabeer Kallarakkal as Rose, ever reliable Kalaiyarasan as Vetri with Arya as Kabilan has carried the role with aplomb. Even a roadside drunkard has left his mark as he celebrates the victory of Kabilan in the end. Why, as an audience, even you will be touched with the kind of narrative and screenplay by Ranjith and Team.

 

Background Score and Cinematography is good but art direction is bit patchy compared to Ranjith’s earlier cinemas.

 

Anantha Subramanyam K. 

 

                                                            

                                                                        Bhoomi

Director: Lakshman

Cast: Jayam Ravi, Thambi Ramaiah, Radharavi

★✶(One & Half)

Bhoomi starts with protagonist Bhoominathan explaining his discovery of surviving in Mars with his magic pill to delegates and the media in a crowded hall in NASA, we are made to believe. The beginning will leave the audience breathless, literally. I mean gasping for air and the suffocation continues throughout the movie. 

Bhoominatahn's success is not because of academics and NASA, but the way he was inspired by a visionary in his village, one Veluswamy (Thambi Ramaiah). A character who runs around government offices begging for relief following his failed crops, later protests and commits suicide by immolating himself. Some inspiration. 

We have a minister, a collector, a police force, all are fit for nothing and hell bent upon thwarting every effort of Bhoominathan in his endeavor to prove MNC crops are the reason for all the miseries. In fact, the collector's only interest is women and he is shown behaving that way in his official jeep when farmers are protesting. 

If you have survived this far, then meet Ronit Roy, who tells the hero that not only crop seeds, the soap, the food and everything Indians are using are controlled by him and his relatives across the globe.Then the war begins... On, how Bhoominatahn wins his challenge in getting rid of this MNC giant out of India. With just an acre of land and a bunch of so-called farmers who get pricked by a single villain at any given time and lose their vision just like that. 

Was there a heroine in this movie? Well, I don't recollect, but only read the name Nidhi Agerwal in the credits.

The only brilliance I saw in Director Lakshman is the childish portrayal and the behaviour of the antagonist in this movie. not the acting or importance of the role, but the name of the character, Richard Child. Applause. 

Even if you are watching the movie on OTT platform with a borrowed username and password of someone else, you can skip this movie. Not worth it. 

                                                                           Maara

Director: Dhilip Kumar

Cast: Madhavan, Shraddha Srinath, Mouli

★★

 

Statutory Warning: If you are expecting to relive the magic of Charlie, then stay away.

 

A young Tessa, who grows up to find her match as told by a wise old lady in the bus journey once upon a time, embarks on a solo trip where she gets drawn into a surreal world of art and faceless artist behind the magic. An art-book, at the den of the artist Maara, which also is the rented room of Tessa, now, has drawings of a series of events that stops with suspense of Dr Kani. To know the ending, she embarks on another journey. Each and every character she meets has their own stories and flashbacks and none help her to come to a logical conclusion. By this you would have spent an hour or so watching the movie where Maara aka Madhavan is shown a couple of times on the screen. FYI, if you are a diehard Madhavan fan.

Almost every scene is a drag, with Tessa wanting to know the story and the characters she meets have their own story than the answer to the puzzle. Even when Tessa finally meets Dr Kani, and she is about to tell the ending, Mouli and team interrupts and unwanted dialogues and another day spent to come to the actual point. By the time Tessa knows the ending, Dr Kani confuses her with another puzzle. Was Tessa’s search just the climax of the story in the Art-Book or her new beginnings with Maara? Only later you will realize that search was also for Vellayya’s (Mouli) long lost love Meenakshi. By the time you come to climax, chances are you slip into sleep and have your own sweet dreams. Especially, if you are watching the movie after your work hours.

 

The lead cast, Madhavan and Shraddha Srinath comes nowhere near the magical pair of Dulquer & Parvathi or the movie Maara, nowhere close to the original masterpiece Charlie. Only saving grace is Art Direction and the Cinematography. Else, the journey is very short that is unnecessarily stretched to tire the audience.

 

A request to filmmakers. Please don’t show epileptic episodes of characters unless it is something to do with medical scripts. And, searching for a key bunch during seizures is not the treatment for this. Even more so by a lady who is on her way to organize a medical camp? Please grow up and be sensible.