Oru Kal Oru Kannadi

Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin,  Hansika Motwani, Santhanam

Director:   Rajesh .M

Music:  Harris Jeyaraj

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Oru kal oru kannadi, the third creation of Director Rajesh, hit the screens this Friday, giving another celebration with the Tamil new year (13th April 2012).

The movie Oru Kal Oru Kannadi codenamed OKOK, is the acting debut for the Red Giant fame Udhayanidhi Stalin, a third combo with Rajesh for Santhanam. Santhanam has his toe back in the same shoe as he had it on in Rajesh’s previous two flicks as male lead’s friend. Hansika joins this fun trio, as the heroine.

The film opens with a courier deliverer man finding his recipient, in the terrace, with a cot and a mosquito mesh covering him. The whistles make us understand that it is the new hero ‘Saravanan (Udhayanidhi)’ sleeping there, fighting the forenoon sun. The courier happens to be an invitation to Meera’s wedding, who had attached a letter telling the receiver not to attend it at any cost. The camera begins to spin fast overhead and confusion, tension and anger consumes the hero’s face. He picks up his phone, calls someone and before the guy on the other end speaks……………..

The whistles and cheers pierce the theater. Yes, that is Santhanam. This high decibel shouts and cheers continue till he is actually shown in the screen sporting a Janavaasa car.

This Meera happens to be Saravanan’s lover who had a break up with him. So that is why he calls Parthasaarathi (Santhan) to help him stop the wedding which is about to take place that day in Pondychery.

Their ride begins so does the flashback.

Saravana is a happy-going youth who works with his friend Parthasarathy in a multiplex of Chennai. He is the only son of a couple. His dad does not speak with his mother as she had not completed a degree, which seems a sin to the husband as he considers finishing a degree is something which makes a living being, a human. Saravanan works with his friend Parthasarathy aka Partha, in a multiplex as ticket dispenser. As usual Santhanam (Partha) has no background, but, just known to us as hero’s friend since his childhood.

Saravanan, falls at the first sight of Meera (Hansika Motwani), in a signal, where he waits with his mother (Sharanya) en route to Madras University to attend her degree passing exam. The mom herself takes an auto encouraging her son to follow the girl.

That is Sharanya at her typical character, who had given her best. Udhayanidhi had fared well as a hero, though he has performed to his best, people may find it difficult to accept him a hero, for he lacks what some call ‘hero material’. Santhanam needless to say supports the film hugely. He guarantees that the ticket money does not go in vain. With his one-liners, counter dialogues, and mimicking he demands claps and cheers. He saves the script just by small lines, without which the some scenes might have looked dull. The songs are catchy, and Harris has done a good job the locations are awesome yet familiar. The new hero is given easy robotic steps, which some students claim to be their school drill moves, though the heroine suffers no such criticism as she is left to run here and there, relying just on her looks. The film progresses well and is a cool entertainer, and the time passage goes unnoticed.

The concept of giving the comedian a girl-friend is not a problem, but the hero mocking her often, that to about her looks and face is something cold cheap. This seems irritating which could have been avoided, as the character is not someone inevitable to miss in the film. The fight between the hero’s mother and father is impractical, as they claim that it had been the state for twenty long years. Hansika looks charming enough, but when it comes to acting, she looks pitiable and makes us worry for her poor skills. Though Tamil film industry is filled with heroines with no Tamil knowledge (or that is what they claim), but Hansika stands a class apart who shows it clearly in the face that she does not understand a thing she mouths.  

Unlike as in the previous films the guest roles here; Arya, Andrea and Sneha are given better positions and their presence glues with the film. The film is done as less dramatically as possible, but it is surely a Rajesh film. It is worth the ticket’s price and is a bull’s eye entertainer.

3 (Moonu)

Cast: Dhanush, Sruthi Haasan, Siva Karthikeyan

Director:   Aishwarya R Dhanush

Music:  Anirudh

Genre: Drama, Romance

"Hey it is our guy ya", "the songs were cool", "how is kolaveri screened?"

Are some of the loudest chats you get to hear in the theatre threshold before the film.

After the film,

Parents “Should not leave our girl alone that too with a phone, never."

"Is Aishwarya Rajinikanth trying to spoil our culture?"

And not to leave the famous punch...... "the youth these days!"

Kids “sob... sob..."

Some "Machan take out the parking ticket lets get home and sleep", "don't talk to me now."

Some elite critics over the phone "Ya I liked the acting and I swear I will never write anything bad about him, what if he makes another one like this."

Some of the rest, “Will I get a ticket in black, for the next show?"

And of course "This is the movie of the year."

And you also might see these ones  "     "

<no expression, no comments just wide open eyes>

Ok you would have got it. Yes we are talking about 3, the most awaited film. And those comments above, none, can be blamed.

The movie opens with the camera rolling into a porshe apartment house, a death house,  with wonderful tragic music. Sruthi is on the couch lying down crying and the rest standing and crying. The whole movie starrers are there except some side actors. You finally notice that, you had not got the privilege of seeing the corpse, also suddenly something hits you, "Where is Dhanush?"

Debut Director and music director Aishwarya and Anirudh both know what it is to handle a movie. And our guy Dhanush has once again showed that he sure can act. Sruthi Haassan with those innocent looks and I am not from north style Tamil has rocked the screen.

Prabhu's usual grace, Siva Karthikeyan's witty comments and his surprise presence itself, succeed to add the expected colour.

Aishwarya Dhanush marks her debut with a mature rather different movie. She had risked enough directing a tragic flick, and she sure must be congratulated. The films describes three stages of our protagonist, Ram’s (drove by Dhanush) life hence the name “Moonu” (3). Or it can be taken in a different way the ‘happiness’, ‘sadness and difficulty’, and this ‘3’rd one is ‘sorry suspense’ of our hero's life.

Ram who is the son of a rich businessman (Prabhu) is a carefree youth. He falls at the first look of a school girl Janani (Sruthi Haasan), of his age, trying her hands in putting the chain of her cycle, which goes down in the rain. He traces her school by her uniform, which involves a wonderful conversation among his friends, gradually her name then her address. Follows her everywhere, joins her tuition, giving great time for quality comedy. Finally our girl also begins to love him.

The second split involves family negotiations, about their love for each other. This goes smoothly in our hero’s place but ends badly in Janani’s place and she is out of her house. Shiva Karthikeyan goes off the screen suddenly, which is later explained. Prabhu give the newly married couple a apartment. They live happily hero manages to dump the gap and makes the heroine’s family to forgive her. All goes well. The audience begin to think why the movie was not named 2.

Why is he dead? This is answered in the third split. The hero faces sudden depression, fluctuating sadness and euphoria, which all get either explained or left to the audience for good. Here comes real acting and a single awesome fight sequence and a great load of Sruthi Haasan tears.

Dhanush as usual does a good job and fits in well as Ram, he does laugh demanding comedy and decent sentiment. He manages to make the audience react how the makers want them to. The fight sequence and serious looks in the second half are sure to be praised. Sruthi Haasan’s character which doesn’t require great acting, is maneuvered well. She sheds great amount of tears towards the end for which her fans would pray that it must not have took many shots. Siva Karthikeyan who is present in the first one and a quarter chronological splits, did a wonderful job. With perfect punch lines, slap sticks and timely comments he wins high decibel applause and whistle. And Sundar fits in well as a loyal friend and does justice to his role.

The scenes which involve school and tuition are written well armed with perfect dialogues, to which many fall acknowledging the striking resemblance with their own lives. The son-dad conversations during hard turns in hero’s life though seems old, appears good and warm. Our heroine’s younger sister acts as one with hearing impairment. She does not speak owing to this. The kid did her part well, but the scene in which she suddenly starts speaking being under a heavy load of sentiment, looks a stunt and seems a bit childish. A doctor who is consulted by Sundar in the film seems to have acted a bit more than needed. The romance scenes between 12^th grade students seem misleading. Some mostly the elders may not like the marriage scene in a discotheque, but its not much noticed under the cover of Anirudh's peppy music.

Every scene is crafted well and the music hugely supports it. But the film as a whole lacks some explanations which are loosely tried to explain. Overall this is a good attempt in all ways, with a message which though does not need hours to convey. Watching once is worth.

This one may win awards (for the acting or music) but not young children and parents’ thumbs up.