Despite a promising premise, the film struggles with pacing issues, unconvincing emotional arcs, and a lack of depth in its romance

Even in a war film like Shershaah, Vishnu Varadhan handled the romance in a way that left an indelible impression on our hearts. So, expectations were naturally high when he forayed into full-fledged romance with Nesippaya. However, the director struggles to meet the mark he had set with Shershaah. With a love story which turns into a crime drama set in a foreign land, Vishnu Varadhan has tried to pull out all the stops to ensure that Nesippaya is a unique addition to the romance genre. However, with a familiar romance plotline, and underwhelming screenplay, the film leaves a lot to be desired.

Director: Vishnu Varadhan

Cast: Akash Murali, Aditi Shankar, Kalki Koechlin, Sarath Kumar, Khushbhu Sundar

Nesippaya tells the story of Arjun (Akash Murali) and Diya (Aditi Shankar), college-sweethearts-turned-ex-lovers who reunite because the latter is framed for a murder. How Arjun, along with Indrani (Kalki Koechlin), attempts to prove her innocence forms the rest of the story. Arjun and Diya’s love story is generic enough for even a supporting character (played by Vikkals Vikram) to casually remark, “They fell in love, but then they broke up, and that’s what happened..” Arjun falls head over heels in love when he sees Diya’s dance performance in college. What starts out as a typical love story, eventually develops into a fairly distinct narrative as Vishnu brings freshness with his unique directorial style. Akash as Arjun portrays a hopeless romantic who can’t help but let an ‘I love you’ spill out of his mouth every now and then. His clinginess, complemented by earnest love, is contrasted with Diya’s untrusting nature due to her past baggage and her inclination for practicality. The couple is the exact opposite of a match made in heaven, and yet, as love is blind, sparks fly, and they fall in love.

When it comes to the reason for their breakup, the director brings more than just their contrasting personalities to the table. While Arjun is all in for the love of his love, delivering delightfully cheesy lines like, “Nee keta na, I’ll even stop the world,” Diya’s suffocation in the relationship is equally valid. Reminding one of Brinda’s Hey Sinamika, Diya’s need for personal space and boundaries in a relationship is a problem that not many couples on screen acknowledge. With this writing nuance taking the film up to a crescendo, Nesippaya falls back to underwhelming territory as it misses out on one key area. After their breakup, Arjun and Diya go about their lives in Chennai and Portugal, respectively, and seem to have moved on without any regrets. Yet, the minute Arjun sees Diya in trouble, he makes an impulsive decision to go to her, leaving his future and career at stake. While Arjun is described as a spontaneous person throughout the film, the fact that they didn’t contact each other for two years makes it difficult for us to accept how much they still care for each other. Such writing issues cause an emotional disconnect, which makes it difficult for us to root for the couple.

Casting Kalki in the role of Indrani is undoubtedly one of Vishnu’s best decisions for Nesippaya. Kalki as Indrani steals the show. In the latter half of the film, Akash often gets into trouble. In such scenarios, generally, the female lead of the film takes it as her responsibility to mend his ways. Here, Indrani is entrusted with the task, as she is like the older sister who constantly monitors his foolhardy decisions and rebukes them with dialogues like, “Nee chumma irukave maatiya. Diya unna vittu ponadhu la thappey ella.” Her character acts as an audience surrogate, reflecting our frustration with Arjun’s impulsive decisions.

Vishnu’s decision to portray Arjun as an ordinary man, steering clear of larger-than-life heroics, is a breath of fresh air. While it has become customary for filmmakers to bestow every male lead with an over-the-top heroic transformation, Arjun feels refreshingly real—much like Kathiravan from Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum, a character who faces more defeat than victories in fights. This is why the two scenes where Arjun is elevated beyond his usual self end up as the film’s most frustratingly drawn-out portions. The second half of Nesippaya meanders toward its conclusion, weighed down by an over-reliance on Arjun to find solutions, even when they verge on implausibility—despite Indrani being the designated lawyer. To make matters worse, the film occasionally succumbs to commercial cliches, like cutting to a song post a fight scene, at moments when the audience is eager for plot progression. On the editing front, trimming at least two fight sequences would have delivered a much tighter and more engaging cinematic experience.

In the end, Nesippaya tries to craft an everlasting tale of romance, but its inconsistencies make it feel more like a forgettable affair. For all its noble intentions, Nesippaya struggles to transcend its safe tropes and predictable beats. It reminds us that love stories, much like love itself, require more than effort—they demand conviction, depth, and a touch of magic.

News Credits: Cinema Express

Ravi and Nitya Menen are excellent in this sweet romantic drama that is a harmless watch. Down goes our Kadhalikka Neramillai Movie Review.

Kiruthiga Udhaynidhi has been a filmmaker who has tried out a variety of genres after making her debut in a romantic comedy. But in her most settled, matured film till date, she manages to give in a pretty engaging film in the form of Kadhalikka Neramillai.

The film is based on two stands – Shreya (Nithya Menen) who finds herself with the wrong man immediately after her engagement, and Siddharth (Ravi Mohan) who is a man who wants to be free until he dies, without any complicated relationship commitments. The film gets deeper and deeper into the lives of these two, their friends, family and more as it moves along in the first half, and has some good dialogues, good moments and the way in which it is organized is also interesting. However, when the film moves into its second half, it gets a bit too easy, with convenient writing and simpler situations coming into the fray. Here, Kadhalikka Neramillai starts to feel as it is a film that feels similar to many other films.

It is the performances that hold the film throughout along with its technical finesse. Ravi Mohan is excellent in his part and feels fresher than his other films, while Nitya Menen is a terrific fit and excels in the emotional scenes.

While Vinay and Yogi Babu are decent, TJ Bhanu is an actress who could have been replaced by someone else, as she turns out to be a turn off in her scenes.

The cinematography by Gavemic Ary is superb and gives the film an excellent look, while Rahman’s music is good in parts and average in parts.

News Credits: Only Kollywood

Tharunam: A Romantic Thriller with Promise but Uneven Execution

“Tharunam,” directed by Arvindh Srinivasan, is a Tamil romantic thriller that delves into themes of love, morality, and the consequences of one’s actions. The film stars Kishen Das as Arjun, a suspended CRPF officer, and Smruthi Venkat as Meera, a young woman entangled in a perilous situation. Their chance meeting at a wedding blossoms into romance, but their lives take a dark turn when Meera accidentally kills her obsessive neighbor, Rohit (Raj Ayyappa), leading the couple into a tense cover-up to secure their future.

Kishen Das delivers a stoic performance as Arjun, embodying a man trained in covert operations yet caught in a moral quandary. Smruthi Venkat portrays Meera with a blend of vulnerability and strength, though her character’s development stalls post-crisis, leaving her in a state of perpetual shock. Their on-screen chemistry is present but lacks depth, which affects the audience’s investment in their plight.

Arvindh Srinivasan’s direction maintains a focused narrative, avoiding unnecessary subplots and contrived investigations. However, the film’s measured approach sometimes renders the thriller aspects toothless, with a curious lack of tension in situations that should be nail-biting. The first half’s pacing feels almost glacial, which may test viewers’ patience.

Darbuka Siva’s musical score complements the film’s tone, providing an emotional backdrop to the unfolding drama. The cinematography captures the essence of the settings, enhancing the visual storytelling. Despite these strengths, the film’s technical prowess is overshadowed by its storytelling shortcomings.

“Tharunam” strives to be a compelling romantic thriller but is hindered by its predictable storyline and uneven execution. While the performances and musical score offer redeeming qualities, the film ultimately falls short of delivering a memorable cinematic experience.

News Credits: Indiaglitz

Synopsis

Madha Gaja Raja might not rank among Sundar C’s best works, Ullathai Allitha and Kalakalappu, but its Dhool-like conflict — a battle between a common man and a kingmaker — is played out mostly for laughs, and the director keeps things engaging.

Madha Gaja Raja Movie Review : A self-aware, largely entertaining throwback

Critic’s Rating: 3.0/5

Madha Gaja Raja Synopsis: A young man decides to help out two of his childhood friends whose lives are in trouble due to a powerful media baron. Can a common man bring down a kingmaker?

Madha Gaja Raja Review: It is not often that a film that has been lying in the cans for over a decade ends up on the big screen. And even if it does, there hangs the question of how relevant it might for that generation of movie-goers. Fortunately, for Madha Gaja Raja, the film would have been considered old school even if it had released on its original released date, in 2013. The film has a distinct late ’90s and early 2000s vibe, and this is its biggest plus (along with Richard M Nathan’s highly saturated cinematography that makes the visuals feel contemporary). And Sundar C seems to be very much aware of it. Like Aambala, his later film with Vishal, Madha Gaja Raja is a throwback, and interestingly enough, this one is self-aware and largely entertaining.

The plot is only too familiar, and revolves around Madha Gaja Raja aka MGR aka Raja (a chirpy Vishal, who does everything that’s asked of him), who runs a cable network, and reunites with his three childhood friends (Santhanam, Sadagopan Ramesh and Nitinsathyaa), thanks to a wedding. When he learns that two of them are in deep trouble because of the actions of Karkuvel Viswanath (Sonu Sood), a media baron who wields incredible power, he decides to take him on and put an end to his friends’ woes.

The entire first half is just a placeholder for the film’s Dhool-like conflict – a battle between a common man and a kingmaker. But unlike in that film, the tussle is played out mostly for laughs. In fact, the Dhool influence is felt in the other scenes, too. We get a residential area that houses multiple families. We have the half-sari-wearing heroine. A glam girl who is used for a generous dose of adult comedy. Foot-tapping songs (by Vijay Antony). And a comedian in prime form. But Sundar C smartly never makes it serious. Even the friends’ situation is just used as a crutch to move the story forward.

Until then, all that the film does is meander from one scene to the next, setting up the characters and trying hard to make us laugh. It’s mainly Santhanam’s one-liners that keep us in good stead, and the comedian uses digs that he makes at his mother-in-law as a running gag to provide us with a few laughs. We also get a surprise cameo by a star!

Even in the second half, not everything works entirely. Since the approach is to steer clear of anything serious, the confrontation between MGR and Karkuvel isn’t really something that sends sparks flying. Despite Sonu Sood playing this character, Karkuvel never comes across as a real threat. And the film fails miserably when viewed through the present day’s political correctness lens.

That said, Sundar C is an old hand at keeping things engaging, so, at frequent intervals, we get stretches of comedy that have us breaking into a laugh. A scene in which Raja ends up in a well with Malathi (Anjali), his lover, who is mad at him due to a minor misunderstanding, and Maya (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), the ‘modern’ girl who fancies him, plays around with the boundaries of adult humour (the film is certified U, though scenes like this one make us feel that it should have been at least U/A). Then, there is this portion involving the late Manobala — inarguably the film’s highlight — which has everyone in splits.

Having cut his teeth with entertainers targeted at every section of the audience, the director also mixes up comedy with romance and action, so this keeps things moving. Madha Gaja Raja might not rank among his best works, Ullathai Allitha and Kalakalappu, but this is still an OG film that deserves what’s now become a promotional mantra: ‘Fight venuma fight irukku, dance venuma dance irukku, romance venuma romance irukku, glamour venuma glamour irukku, comedy venuma comedy irukku…’

News Credits: Times of India