Every night millions of Tamil music lovers sleep to the songs of Ilaiyaraaja (including me), but his lullabies are literally like sleeping pills. If I listen to Thene Thenpandi Meene, I will end up sleeping invariably. Mannava Mannava is one …

Some of Kamal’s comedy movies don’t get the necessary fame when they get released but it becomes a cult hit. Most prominent example that I could think of is Panchathanthiram but there are movies like Mumbai Express that didn’t get …

Kamagni (not to be confused with some of the B-Grade movies from Telugu, Tamil and Telugu) is a directorial venture of cinematographer, Ashok Kumar. It explored the  sexuality of a woman and it became controversial due to the sexually charged …

I know some of my readers might be wondering why I have been posting random songs without a particular pattern. April is a month A-Z challenge in the blogging world and millions of bloggers around the world take the challenge …

Simple folkish melody is a trademark Ilaiyaraaja and this song is a sweet melody that talks about the class difference between the two lead characters in love. Tirunelveli is a movie about a man who lives to speak the truth, …

Tamil cinema loves sentiments, both on-screen and off-screen. One of the famous sentimental aspect is having Ilaiyaraaja Title song of the movie. In fact, the title song of Karagattakaran mentions this aspect and it became an habit. So, I am …

When Prakash Raj started directing, he went to Ilaiyaraaja to support his stories and their collaboration has given us some wonderful music (3 movies so far). It’s also wonderful to note that as a producer he didn’t force his choices …

I strive to watch movies in the first week and write reviews, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way I plan. The last few weeks, I couldn’t see the movies during the first week of their release. To be …

Raj Kiran’s first movie was En Rasavin Manasile directed by Kasthoori Raja, Dhanush’s father. It was the same reason why Dhanush chose to work with Raj Kiran in his first directorial venture (Power Pandi). Raj Kiran produced the movie and …

The blog was under maintenance for the past two days as I am doing quite a bit of backend changes. We continue the Title songs special, and today I have a song from my most favourite Tamil movie ever.

I …

Simple folkish melody is a trademark Ilaiyaraaja and this song is a sweet melody that talks about the class difference between the two lead characters in love. Tirunelveli is a movie about a man who lives to speak the truth, …

Simple folkish melody is a trademark Ilaiyaraaja and this song is a sweet melody that talks about the class difference between the two lead characters in love. Tirunelveli is a movie about a man who lives to speak the truth, and it also talked about the class differences. Vivek’s comedy in the film became popular, and this was the first movie in which he started doing full-fledged social comedy – openly criticising false beliefs, casteism, etc.

Udhaya (who plays one of the lead roles in the movie) is the son of AL Alagappan. He didn’t make much of an impact in any of his movies. Later, his brother AL Vijay started his career as a director. Bharathi Kannan didn’t have any big hits in his career as a director. He became a character artist and is currently doing small roles.

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AYnOTruEZw” mode=”lazyload” title=”Ola Kudisayila” description=”Ola Kudisayila is a simple folkish melody from Thirunelveli. This post is part of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja – a 365 days project posting the songs of Maestro Ilaiyaraaja” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

Tamil cinema loves sentiments, both on-screen and off-screen. One of the famous sentimental aspect is having Ilaiyaraaja Title song of the movie. In fact, the title song of Karagattakaran mentions this aspect and it became an habit. So, I am planning to showcase some of the title songs (not title music) in the next few posts.

Parthiban wanted to have Ilaiyaraaja’s music for his first movie but it didn’t happen for various reasons. But he was stubborn about having Ilaiyaraaja’s music for his second movie and his adoration for the composer is unmatchable. The song provides the premise for the movie – the hero is a conductor in a bus and his life ambition is to find a good wife. It may sound cliched but the movie touches a different nerve when you watch it.

Video Version

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lytZ9P31kxA” mode=”lazyload” title=”Yaaradi Naan Thedum” description=”Yaaradi Naan Thedum from Pondatti Thevai is one of the many title songs sung by Ilaiyaraaja – This post is part of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja – 365 day project” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

Audio Version (Good Quality)

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XgPwaA8T2U” mode=”lazyload” title=”Yaaradi Naan Thedum Audio Version” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

When Prakash Raj started directing, he went to Ilaiyaraaja to support his stories and their collaboration has given us some wonderful music (3 movies so far). It’s also wonderful to note that as a producer he didn’t force his choices on directors like Radha Mohan because Vidysagar scored the music for most of Radha Mohan’s music.

Un Samayal Arayil/Oggarane/Ulavacharu Biriyani is a trilingual remake of Salt ‘n’ Pepper, a Malayalam movie. The title song of the movie should make people understand that the movie is about food and songs each language celebrates the food culture of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh/Telengana respectively. Even the video is interspersed with specific food stuff mentioned in the song along with common footage for all three languages.

At first, I wasn’t convinced with choice of Kailash Kher but when I listened to the song, his voice gave a different taste to the song. Watch in your favourite language but if you are a foodie, watch all the songs, you wil not regret it. And at the same time, if you visit a restaurant because of the song, I am not responsible for the bill

Intha Porapputhan – Tamil Version

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTie2rmrFhk” mode=”lazyload” title=”Intha Porappu Than” description=”Intha Porappu Than/En Janumave/Ee Janmame is the title song of Un Samyal Arayil/Oggarane/Ulavacharu Biriyani directed by Prakash Raj and composed by Ilaiyaraaja.” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

Ee Janumave – Kannada Version

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UldJ9AnalEY” mode=”lazyload” title=”Ee Janumave – Kannada” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

Ee Janmame – Telugu Version

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH0ea2k1lug” mode=”lazyload” title=”Ee Janmame” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

I strive to watch movies in the first week and write reviews, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way I plan. The last few weeks, I couldn’t see the movies during the first week of their release. To be honest, a late review doesn’t help a small budgeted film as their lifetime depends on good word of mouth. Even if one person reads my review and watches a small budgeted movie, I would be a happier person.

I liked some of the movies that came out in the last few weeks. A couple of them are low budgeted fare that created a buzz, and another one came from a famous actor. Here are the things that I liked and didn’t like about the movie (in short).

Maanagaram – Unknown faces of a Metro City

Maanagaram is about how random strangers in a new city help each other at the moments of dire need. Any metro city is full of immigrants, and the city runs because of these people. Maanagaram’s strength is the way Lokesh Kanagaraj has crafted his screenplay backed up by some excellent performances by Sri and Sundeep Kishan. But the movie belongs to the brilliance of Charle. Ramadoss makes another bid to show why he is not just comedy actor. The supporting cast is what makes Maanagaram delectable.

Having said that, sometimes the narrative is forced, and I felt the coincidences are too many in such a short period. The entire premise hinges on a mere coincidence, and it’s up to you to accept or deny it. However, Manaagaram is worth a watch for taut filmmaking, strong performances by the actors and the heart.

A 3/5 for Maanagaram for celebrating the unknown faces that we meet everyday. Watch it if you haven’t. 

8 Thottakkal – Few on target

I knew MS Bhaskar but little did I know about his prowess in acting. If Mozhi made you sit up and notice him, 8 Thottakkal would make you salute him for the performance. Debutant Sri Ganesh (an assistant of Mysskin) has taken a leaf out of Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog and created an enjoyable movie that again depends on the performance of supporting cast (or not?).

A subdued police sub-inspector loses his revolver to a pick-pocket. Crimes are conducted using the pistol, and he tries to find the culprit. Vetri as the lead protagonist is unconvincing, and rock would have emoted better. On the other hand, everyone else around him has provided impactful performances. The movie belongs to MS Bhaskar, and it was like watching an aged Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. Nasser, Manikandan, RS Shivaji, Charles Vinoth enthral you with their performances. The way director has connected the sequences to each of the character’s past is moviemaking at its best.

Having said that, the lack of strong protagonist, long drawn sequences in the second half and dampening big reveal stood as scars in the movie. Sundaramurthy’s background score didn’t give the significant impact for the film. But 8 Thottakkal is watchable for the performances and the movie making prowess of debutant Sri Ganesh.

A 3/5 for 8 Thottakkal – a clean slow burning thriller that you wouldn’t mind spending your money on.

Power Pandi Review – The power of goodness

It’s commendable that Dhanush chose a story like Power Paandi to make his debut. The best thing about the movie is that the heart is in its right place. If you look at the film, there are no negative characters – you may see an odd shopkeeper or a rowdy who messes with Power Paandi, but otherwise, there are no lead villains in the movie.

Power Paandi is coming of age movie of another kind. It’s the story of Paandi, a stunt director who is trying to come to terms with his retirement life. He is seeking for something in his life, and Power Paandi is about the search but not about the finding. There couldn’t be a better person than Raj Kiran to do the role of Power Paandi. He excels in every scene and shows a broad range of emotions. The scene where he proposes to Revathy is a cracker, and the scene where he laments about his life to Prasanna proves the mettle of the actor. It was heartwarming to see Revathy on screen again, and she eases through her role. The flashback sequence between Dhanush and Madonna Sebastian is well conceived but Dhanush’s antics were over-the-top for a role like that, and it felt contrived. Prasanna, Chaya Singh and DD were adequate in their roles while Rinson and Raghavan (as the next door boy and grandson respectively) are impressive. I remember writing that Sean Roldan could not hold Vaayay Moodi Pesavum together with his background score but in Power Paandi, he has graduated to the next level. Having said that, I liked only Venpani Malare in the list of songs.

The problem with the movie is that the conflict between Power Pandi and his son Raghavan (Prasanna) is contrived and you end up questioning the reasons for his sudden road-trip. The subtlety of second half is missing in the first, but the chemistry between Power Pandi and Revathy leaves you with a smile.

A 3/5 for Power Paandi – an unexpected feel-good movie from Dhanush

[wp-review id=”50760″]

Raj Kiran’s first movie was En Rasavin Manasile directed by Kasthoori Raja, Dhanush’s father. It was the same reason why Dhanush chose to work with Raj Kiran in his first directorial venture (Power Pandi). Raj Kiran produced the movie and to be honest, the rugged looking Raj Kiran helped the narrative.

The title song prepares you for the poignant theme of the movie. A wonderfully rendered song by Ilaiyaraaja and Swarnalatha, this one will seep in to your heart.

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2UfsQmQEVU” mode=”lazyload” title=”Kuyil Pattu” description=”Kuyil Pattu is the title song of En Rasavin Manasile, directoral debut of Kasthoori Raja and acting debut of Raj Kiran. The post is part of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja.” maxwidth=”750″ grow=”yes” /]

Tamil cinema loves sentiments, both on-screen and off-screen. One of the famous sentimental aspect is having Ilaiyaraaja Title song of the movie. In fact, the title song of Karagattakaran mentions this aspect and it became an habit. So, I am planning to showcase some of the title songs (not title music) in the next few posts.

Parthiban wanted to have Ilaiyaraaja’s music for his first movie but it didn’t happen for various reasons. But he was stubborn about having Ilaiyaraaja’s music for his second movie and his adoration for the composer is unmatchable. The song provides the premise for the movie – the hero is a conductor in a bus and his life ambition is to find a good wife. It may sound cliched but the movie touches a different nerve when you watch it.

Video Version

Yaaradi Naan Thedum

Yaaradi Naan Thedum from Pondatti Thevai is one of the many title songs sung by Ilaiyaraaja - This post is part of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja - 365 day project

Audio Version (Good Quality)

Yaaradi Naan Thedum Audio Version

When Prakash Raj started directing, he went to Ilaiyaraaja to support his stories and their collaboration has given us some wonderful music (3 movies so far). It’s also wonderful to note that as a producer he didn’t force his choices on directors like Radha Mohan because Vidysagar scored the music for most of Radha Mohan’s music.

Un Samayal Arayil/Oggarane/Ulavacharu Biriyani is a trilingual remake of Salt ‘n’ Pepper, a Malayalam movie. The title song of the movie should make people understand that the movie is about food and songs each language celebrates the food culture of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh/Telengana respectively. Even the video is interspersed with specific food stuff mentioned in the song along with common footage for all three languages.

At first, I wasn’t convinced with choice of Kailash Kher but when I listened to the song, his voice gave a different taste to the song. Watch in your favourite language but if you are a foodie, watch all the songs, you wil not regret it. And at the same time, if you visit a restaurant because of the song, I am not responsible for the bill

Intha Porapputhan – Tamil Version

Intha Porappu Than

Intha Porappu Than/En Janumave/Ee Janmame is the title song of Un Samyal Arayil/Oggarane/Ulavacharu Biriyani directed by Prakash Raj and composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Ee Janumave – Kannada Version

Ee Janumave - Kannada

Ee Janmame – Telugu Version

Ee Janmame

I strive to watch movies in the first week and write reviews, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way I plan. The last few weeks, I couldn’t see the movies during the first week of their release. To be honest, a late review doesn’t help a small budgeted film as their lifetime depends on good word of mouth. Even if one person reads my review and watches a small budgeted movie, I would be a happier person.

I liked some of the movies that came out in the last few weeks. A couple of them are low budgeted fare that created a buzz, and another one came from a famous actor. Here are the things that I liked and didn’t like about the movie (in short).

Maanagaram – Unknown faces of a Metro City

Maanagaram is about how random strangers in a new city help each other at the moments of dire need. Any metro city is full of immigrants, and the city runs because of these people. Maanagaram’s strength is the way Lokesh Kanagaraj has crafted his screenplay backed up by some excellent performances by Sri and Sundeep Kishan. But the movie belongs to the brilliance of Charle. Ramadoss makes another bid to show why he is not just comedy actor. The supporting cast is what makes Maanagaram delectable.

Having said that, sometimes the narrative is forced, and I felt the coincidences are too many in such a short period. The entire premise hinges on a mere coincidence, and it’s up to you to accept or deny it. However, Manaagaram is worth a watch for taut filmmaking, strong performances by the actors and the heart.

A 3/5 for Maanagaram for celebrating the unknown faces that we meet everyday. Watch it if you haven’t. 

8 Thottakkal – Few on target

I knew MS Bhaskar but little did I know about his prowess in acting. If Mozhi made you sit up and notice him, 8 Thottakkal would make you salute him for the performance. Debutant Sri Ganesh (an assistant of Mysskin) has taken a leaf out of Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog and created an enjoyable movie that again depends on the performance of supporting cast (or not?).

A subdued police sub-inspector loses his revolver to a pick-pocket. Crimes are conducted using the pistol, and he tries to find the culprit. Vetri as the lead protagonist is unconvincing, and rock would have emoted better. On the other hand, everyone else around him has provided impactful performances. The movie belongs to MS Bhaskar, and it was like watching an aged Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. Nasser, Manikandan, RS Shivaji, Charles Vinoth enthral you with their performances. The way director has connected the sequences to each of the character’s past is moviemaking at its best.

Having said that, the lack of strong protagonist, long drawn sequences in the second half and dampening big reveal stood as scars in the movie. Sundaramurthy’s background score didn’t give the significant impact for the film. But 8 Thottakkal is watchable for the performances and the movie making prowess of debutant Sri Ganesh.

A 3/5 for 8 Thottakkal – a clean slow burning thriller that you wouldn’t mind spending your money on.

Power Pandi Review – The power of goodness

It’s commendable that Dhanush chose a story like Power Paandi to make his debut. The best thing about the movie is that the heart is in its right place. If you look at the film, there are no negative characters – you may see an odd shopkeeper or a rowdy who messes with Power Paandi, but otherwise, there are no lead villains in the movie.

Power Paandi is coming of age movie of another kind. It’s the story of Paandi, a stunt director who is trying to come to terms with his retirement life. He is seeking for something in his life, and Power Paandi is about the search but not about the finding. There couldn’t be a better person than Raj Kiran to do the role of Power Paandi. He excels in every scene and shows a broad range of emotions. The scene where he proposes to Revathy is a cracker, and the scene where he laments about his life to Prasanna proves the mettle of the actor. It was heartwarming to see Revathy on screen again, and she eases through her role. The flashback sequence between Dhanush and Madonna Sebastian is well conceived but Dhanush’s antics were over-the-top for a role like that, and it felt contrived. Prasanna, Chaya Singh and DD were adequate in their roles while Rinson and Raghavan (as the next door boy and grandson respectively) are impressive. I remember writing that Sean Roldan could not hold Vaayay Moodi Pesavum together with his background score but in Power Paandi, he has graduated to the next level. Having said that, I liked only Venpani Malare in the list of songs.

The problem with the movie is that the conflict between Power Pandi and his son Raghavan (Prasanna) is contrived and you end up questioning the reasons for his sudden road-trip. The subtlety of second half is missing in the first, but the chemistry between Power Pandi and Revathy leaves you with a smile.

A 3/5 for Power Paandi – an unexpected feel-good movie from Dhanush

Raj Kiran’s first movie was En Rasavin Manasile directed by Kasthoori Raja, Dhanush’s father. It was the same reason why Dhanush chose to work with Raj Kiran in his first directorial venture (Power Pandi). Raj Kiran produced the movie and to be honest, the rugged looking Raj Kiran helped the narrative.

The title song prepares you for the poignant theme of the movie. A wonderfully rendered song by Ilaiyaraaja and Swarnalatha, this one will seep in to your heart.

Kuyil Pattu

Kuyil Pattu is the title song of En Rasavin Manasile, directoral debut of Kasthoori Raja and acting debut of Raj Kiran. The post is part of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja.