Black Stallion

Medium : Malayalam
Starring : Kalabhavan Mani, Bala, Jayan, Namitha
Direction : Pramod Pappan
Music : Abhishek, Rajesh Mohan (bg score)

Pramod - Pappan, the popular name in the still photography field had entered the movie direction area through the Mammootty film, 'Vajram'. Later they gave films like 'Thaskaraveeran' (Mammootty-Nayanthara) and 'Abraham Lincoln' (Kalabhavan Mani-Rahman). None of those films were big hits and they don't have stability in the scripting side also; since the directors were good camera technicians, they had tried to do experiments on the visual sides (camera and editing area). Their new film, 'Black Stallion' had got Kalabhavan Mani and Bala in lead roles with south indian glamor girl ,Namitha coming to malayalam for the first time.

The film starts with the child hood days of the hero (Kalabhavan Mani) in Tamil Nadu. His father is being killed by the villain police officer (Mahadevan). The son spent his younger days in the jail, has got the ambition to become a criminal police officer. When grown up, he fulfills the ambition by joining police and he has also got a gang to do the criminal activities. Later, the villain is killed. Hero meets the bar dancer (Namitha) and likes to marry her. She doesn't like him,as her father has been killed by his attack and her sister is brutally wounded as a result of that. The heroine escapes to Kerala with her sister. She meets a professional photographer (Bala) and gets into an affair with him. By this time, the hero and his gang reaches there in search of the girl and the suspense regarding the real villain is revealed in the climax.

The presentation of the film in the action background was not at all appealing all the time. The dialogues used in the film is too poor and amateur. You have got many songs here, coming in unwanted situations. None of the songs composed by music director Abhishek are good and more over it is too noisy. The very fast cuts for the introduction song of heroine can create problem for our eyes. Also don't know the reason of casting Mahadevan ('Pithamahan', 'Ee Pattanathil Bhootham' fame) in police officer's role if he is not ready to take off the beard. You can't cheat the audience in this period. The rope techniques used in action scenes by Mafia Sasi, doesn't look professional. There is good suspense in the climax, but it is not neatly worked out and also the end shot in which the hero rejoins with the heroine is childish. The relevance of one of the gang members of the hero, who is keeping laptop all the time is not known. The word "cli-cho", used by the hero usually is not attractive. The placement of 3d animated helicopter in the combination scene of the heroes in the flashback area is an unwanted thing.

The fatty girl Namitha not at all felt sympathetic in her character. She might have been casted to exploit her glamor. The heroism given for Bala doesn't suits him. Ranjith Touchriver had got some hard work to do on the editing side. The operative cameramen along with the directors had done the maximum gimmicks on the visuals. Rajesh Mohan ('Guard' fame) had given a heavy bg score to keep the mood. The failure in the scripting side by Rajesh Raman is evident.


There is not even a single positive thing to highlight in 'Black Stallion'. It felt like watching a C-class masala film from some other language...


Rating : 3.5 / 10

Jagan Mohini

Medium : Tamil

Starring : Raja, Namitha, Nila, Kota Sreenivasa Rao, Vadivelu

Direction : N.K.Viswanathan

Music : Ilayaraja

Recently I have rasied my voice against a colleague; the issue was regarding the new tamil film 'Jagan Mohini'. When I told that I had watched this film, his immediate questioning about Namitha's glamour was the reason for my anger. I shouldn't have behaved like that. It is a fact that, in the last few years the north indian girl has emerged as a glamour queen in telugu and tamil . But those who get into an argument with me should also keep in mind about the fact that I won't left un watched, the majority of films coming infront of me.

'Jagan Mohini' is the remake of the film with the same name, that released more than 30years before. That time, the heroine was Jyothilakshmi, the glamour queen. Now since the creators want to exploit the maximum glamour of Namitha, they had tried to remade the difficult subject. The problem here is the theme of the film. It is a fantasy subject. So the art work and the computer graphics area will be a tedious job. Anyway, they have managed with out using many outdoor locations. Since the palace, house indoors, sea side and the forest covers the major portions with rest of the shots shown inside the set designs, it is not a hectic job as expected.

The story is based on a village girl (Namitha) who spends her life by collecting sea pearls. The prince (Raja) isin love with her. A villain priest (Kota Sreenivasa Rao) tries to collect the precious 'naaga manikyam'. He uses the help of another prince (Riaz Khan). The king doesn't like his son to be in love with a poor girl. As per his orders, she is killed. The fact is being hidden from the prince. The girl takes rebirth and preparing for the revenge on the persons who tried to destroy her.

In olden days, stories like this were common and were big hits also. I enjoyed the film in that sense only even if the new 'Jagan Mohini' is not the best. The comedy scenes by Vadivelu is not good. Even Ilayaraja's songs are not upto the mark.

Even in the middle of the technical era, 'Jagan Mohini' doesn't look like a professional work. The casting side and the making area should have been taken more seriously by the creators.

Rating : 5 / 10

Indiravizha

Medium : Tamil
Starring : Sreekanth, Namitha, Hemamalini, Vivek, Nasser
Director : Rajeshwar
Music : Aathish

Tamil actor Sreekanth, who don’t have big hits after films like ‘Rojakkoottam’, ‘Parthiban Kanavu’ and ‘Kanaa Kandein’ has acted in a new tamil movie named ‘Indiravizha’. But he can’t claim the credits for the above alone, since he was a new face in the first film with Bhoomika as his pair, second one has got Sneha in double role and the last one has got debutant Prithviraj in the main negative role. Now, super glamour queen in the south, Namitha is the co-star in ‘Indiravizha’. She has done the role in her “style”. Rajeshwar, who gave the periodical film by Simran, ‘Kovilppatti Veeralakshmi’ (2004), has directed the movie.

The hero (Sreekanth) is the creative head of a private tv channel. The LLB student (Hemamalini) is a victim of the fun show created by the channel. After being mentally irritated repeatedly, the hero felt sympathy and he marries the girl. In the mean while the owner of the channel (Namitha) comes with her husband (Nasser). She is the ex lover of our hero. She tries to get in touch with him again. But he refused and she planned to take revenge by arranging a drama. A case is filed against him for rape attempt. His lawyer friend (Vivek) comes as the defense. Yesteryear actor, YG Mahendran appears as her lawyer. In the end the truth is revealed after hero’s wife, who is also a lawyer appears for him.

The happenings in the story regarding the channel program in the first half deviated my thoughts about the source of this story. But soon I succeeded in finding that ‘Indiravizha’ is the remake of hindi film, ‘Aitraaz’ acted by Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra (negative role), Kareena Kapoor (wife’s role) and Amrish Puri. But the current project is so poor that it cannot be compare with excellent hindi version. Don’t forget that it was also an adaptation from the Hollywood film, ‘Disclosure’. If you are particular in making a remake, then why are you adding unwanted elements?

It looks like that the director wants to exploit only the maximum glamour of Namitha. The comedy scenes by Vivek are not up to the mark. The scenes created for comedy inside the court involving the judge (Radharavi) is also horrible sometimes. Songs comes in non realistic situations, especially the last one is misplaced. The fun based program made by the channel not only gives mental tension to the heroine but also to the viewers. Later when the hero reveals his wish, suddenly her mood changes to happiness, which is also unrealistic. Only advantage here is the extra glamour, that too for die hard Namitha fans. Thus too many negatives had made the project non watchable.

No need to take the chance on ‘Indiravizha’; It is better to collect the dvd of ‘Aitraaz’ and watch it.

Rating : 2.5 / 10