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Audio beat: Jilla - Big stars and some great music

Super Good Films’ Jilla has been produced by R. B. Choudary, and written and directed by R. T. Neason. The cast includes Vijay, Mohanlal, Kajal Agarwal, Suri, Poornima Bhagyaraj, Mahath, Niveditha, Sampath and Thambi Ramaiyah. The camera has been cranked by Ganesh Rajavelu, editing is by Don Max, art has been taken care of by Rajeevan and the stunts choreographed by ‘stunts’ Silvan. The story is set in Madurai and has love, sentiment and other ingredients to make it a success. The audio was released recently.
What they say
Producer R. B. Choudary: This is my 25th year in the industry and Jilla is my 85th film. I have worked with most of the top stars in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. In fact, we have introduced many newcomers who have gone on to become top directors and technicians in South India. My production company has done five films with Vijay and they are Poove Unakkaga, Love Today, Thullatha Manamum Thullum, Shajagan, and Thirupachi. This is going to be the most expensive movie from our company and we are confident it will be a mega hit. 

Director R. T. Nesan: I wanted to direct Vijay, but never dreamt I would be directing both Vijay and Mohan Lal in the same movie. This was possible only because of actor Vijay. I was an assistant to directors Vincent Selva (Iraniyan) and Udhayashankar (Thavasi) and worked as a second unit director on Velayudam, as director ‘Jayem” Raja was my junior in the film institute. My first film was Muruga and Jilla is the second one.
Hero Vijay: Just when I was looking a different kind of film, I received this script from Nesan. As it is good, I feel he has a hit on hand.
Music director D. Imman: I was happy to compose the music for Jilla, as I felt it had all that it took to make it a box office success. This is my second film with Vijay. Director Nesan was clear about what he wanted me to do in the film. I am confident the music will win the hearts of not only Vijay fans but also all those who enjoy good cinema. 

Music highlights
The album comprises six numbers, the best of which is ‘Paattu Onnu’, written by Yugabharathi and sung by S.P.Balasubramaniam and Shankar Mahadevan. ‘Verasa Pogayile’, written by Parvathy and sung by the music director himself, is good. ‘Jingunamani’, written by Viveka, and sung by K. G.Ranjith and Sunidhi Chauhan, is pleasant, while ‘Kandaangi Kandaangi’, written by Vairamuthu and sung by Vijay and Shreya Ghoshal, is a number listeners would enjoy returning to. ‘Yeppa Maama Treatu’ is a mass number written by Viveka and sung by the music director, A.V.Pooja and Snigdha Chandra, with the rap sections by Maria Roe Vincent. Last but not the least is the Jilla theme song, written by Viveka and sung by Santhosh Hariharan , Deepak, Anand and Shenbagaraj. There are also two karaoke tracks of ‘Verasa Pogayile’ and ‘Kandaangi Kandaangi’ for the benefit of listeners who wish to sing along with the music. 
  for more details :http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/
 A still from Jilla

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Mahabharat: No epic impact

With its grey characters and labyrinthine socio-political layers Mahabharat is not essentially meant for kids for even the god is not above doubt here. It is ideal to keep the argumentative Indian occupied but in an industry that loves to see things in black and white, Ramayan has always been a more convenient palette to daub into. So over the years while we have had umpteen versions of Ramayan, apart from Babubhai Mistry, nobody tried to paint Mahabharat on big screen. Of course, for years it has been the source for our screen writers to generate stories about greed, fidelity and obligation. For generations it has given licence to filmmakers to treat heroines as an object that can be gambled and men as brawny creatures, who can go to any extent to satisfy their egos and vows but nobody tried to capture the essence of the epic.
Director Amaan Khan has come up with an animated and abridged version of the epic. He has got the colour of conviction but it comes across as a rather sanitised, simplistic version of the complex narrative. He has managed to get the ambience right. So the palaces look royal and mysterious but the characters, who inhabit them are rather sketchy. What hurts the most is the lack of imagination and research. The costumes and contours remind the sketches of Amar Chitra Katha and the fight sequences are inspired by B.R. Chopra’s tele-series on the epic. So when the arrows strike in the air and generate lightening of different kinds, it gives a feeling of déjà vu. The animated characters walk awkwardly and gingerly. Amaan has come up with an interesting idea of not only involving the leading stars of the industry to dub for the principal characters but also make the main characters look like the actors. So Arjun resembles Ajay Devgn, Karna reminds of Anil Kapoor and Draupadi looks like Vidya Balan on a bad day. 

But the way the sketching has been done the animated characters do no good to the vanity of these stars. Every time Draupadi opens her mouth her molars show up. Biological accuracy should not come in the way of aesthetics, particularly when she is described as a beauty who can sweep anybody off his feet. Shatrughan Sinha with his pronounced baritone is not the ideal choice for Krishna and the technical team doesn’t help his cause as it has moulded the avatar of Vishnu as a baby-faced wonder. The actors try hard to fill the computerised cardboards with some personality with their voice. Jackie Shroff is outstanding as Duryodhan, Anil Kapoor manages to create sympathy for Karna and Anupam Kher is suitably wily as Shakuni. He has brought more than a hint of yesteryear villain Jeevan in his performance. Amitabh Bachchan and Sunny Deol are not bad as Bhishma and Bhima respectively but the lack of insight ensures that we don’t feel for these characters.
The artwork in expressing softer emotions is all the more dismal. So love and compassion don’t translate into any emotional rush. And when the scene shifts to Kurukshetra, you don’t have to battle with the adrenaline rush. For a generation that regularly feeds on eye-popping animation from Hollywood, the war scenes come across as yesterday’s meal.
Mahabharat deserves a liberal reading but apart from Karna’s episode Amaan has remained true to the traditional rendering of the epic and there is hardly any effort to delve into the moral dilemmas of the characters.
It is time that the context of lines like “Arjun ne Draupadi ko swyamvar mein jeeta hai” (Arjun has won Draupadi in a swyamvar) is explained.
Arnab Chaudhuri’s Arjun: The Warrior Prince, which dealt with some of the episodes was a more

Mahabharat
Genre: Animation
Voice cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Vidya Balan, Manoj Bajpayee, Sunny Deol, Anupam Kher
Storyline: Kauravas and Pandvas fight it out for what they think is rightfully theirs
Bottom line: Daubed in colour, this one manages to make the most riveting story ever written boring 
  for more details :http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/
 Mahabharat

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Madhayaanai Koottam: Herd mentality

For over an hour you are forced to witness rituals and listen to the rigmarole of a village funeral, albeit with flash cuts to the past of the dead man! Never in a film would you have watched the paraphernalia of death go on and on in such detail. You already feel drained by the crassness of the process, when the next death happens. Oh God, you groan! And then another corpse surfaces! Soon you are dumped with yet another. At this point you just give up. The hopelessly dark and unbearably loud scenario in Madhayaanai Koottam (U) leaves you tired and exasperated.
Director Vikram Sukumaran’s purpose of showcasing the lives of those steeped in dogma may be laudable, but the veracity in the treatment doesn’t justify the effect it has on the viewer. Absolute lack of finer feelings, little respect for the lives of others and loud performances mar the appeal of MYK. Morbidity in excess can backfire. Wonder how composer G.V. Prakashkumar could have allowed his maiden production to be soaked in so much blood! In fact, the U certification for MYK seems a cruel joke on the viewer. The young composer could have at least salvaged the film with some subdued RR. But no, he has handed over the department to Raghunandan and it is din most of the time. And the only hum-worthy number, (‘Konakonda Kaari,’) doesn’t sound too original either! 

The son of a second wife is chased by the relatives of his dead dad, Jayakodi Thevar, after a brawl, and it is murder and mayhem all the way. For a while, the cat and mouse game is interesting. Also the performance of Viji as the first wife of Jayakodi Thevar is a saving grace of MYK. It is the work of a seasoned actor! Yet it doesn’t mitigate the terrible impact of her grief-stricken final act, when she spreads the blood of the man killed in the melee, on the floor, and looks at her blood-stained hands in Lady Macbeth style!
Kadhir, the new hero, tries to do his best. But in the story that highlights nothing but gore, he achieves little. Oviya’s gentle overtures offer little relief.
Amidst this pandemonium, the few subtle touches — like hero Kadhir pushing Viji’s hand away in the climax to indicate that he knows about her treachery — could go unnoticed.
Madhayaanai Koottam is a very relevant title. And that’s about it. 

Madhayaanai Koottam
Genre: Murder
Director: Vikram Sukumaran
Cast: Kadhir, Oviya, Viji
Storyline: The son of a man with two wives has to fight social stigma and treachery at the hands of some of his own people.
Bottomline: Bloody without respite 
  for more details :http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/
 Too much gore: Madhayanai Kootam

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Lawrence debuts in B’town with an Ajay Devgn film

There has been a fad in Hollywood in the recent past to make the best use of south Indian films and remake them in Hindi, tweaking the story to suit local tastes. Sometimes, the B’town stars insist that the filmmaker who made the original wield the megaphone for them as well, like 'Murugadoss' ('Ghajini'), Prabhu Deva ('Pokkiri' in Tamil and Wanted in Hindi). That’s precisely what has happened also to our choreographer/actor/ filmmaker Raghava Lawrence.
Actor Ajay Devgn who has tasted success, remaking Suriya’s 'Singham' and 'Son of Sardaar', which was a remake of 'Maryada Ramanaa', is all set to act as the lead protagonist in Lawrence’s earlier blockbuster, 'Kanchana' — 'Muni 2'.  Devgn, who watched the film, was highly impressed with it and wanted Lawrence to make it in Hindi also. This means that Lawrence will be making his debut in direction in B’town. In Kanchana, he had played the male lead besides directing the movie while Sarath Kumar had the prominent role of a transgender.
 When Lawrence was contacted by this newspaper, the multifaceted personality who was busy in the wrapping up stage of its sequel, 'Muni 3' — Ganga, said, “Yes, it is true that I am making Kanchana — 'Muni 2' in Hindi, with Ajay Devgn in the lead. We are yet to figure out the actor for the transgender role played by Sarath Kumar. All other details are being worked out.” 
 for more details :http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/

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A.R. Rahman unveils 'Kangaroo' audio

Director Sami, known for his controversial themes, has consciously deviated from his image and come out with a film titled, 'Kangaroo'. Produced by Suresh Kamatchi and Ravichandran, 'Kangaroo' has Arjuna and Varsha Ashwathi in the lead. Interestingly, top playback singer Srinivas turns music composer with this film and the lines have been penned by none other than ace Vairamuthu.  What had Srinivas feel he was on cloud nine was when his mentor, A.R. Rahman, unveiled the first set of audios at an event.
Later, it was launched officially at a press gathering. Speaking on the occasion, Vairamuthu related how Sami had come to him to tell him about Kangaroo and how he had wanted to approach him for his earlier films too, but had not been able to commandeer his large budgets. Vairamuthu apparently told him that he too knew the business of Tamil cinema. “I know what to charge for big-, small-and very small-budget films. In fact, I am passionate about writing for the last category. And my lyrics will have the same class as if I were to write for Rajini or Kamal or Mani Ratnam or Shankar,” he said. He also wished a speedy recovery to Ilaiyaraaja
 for more details :http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/
 

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The smile’s back

Vinay Rai on making a comeback with Endrendrum Punnagai and his mantra for success

Vinay Rai made heads turn with his very debut, director Jeeva’s frothy Unnale Unnale. Tamil cinema had a new chocolate hero. Six years and mixed fortunes at the box office later, Vinay romances the big screen again with Ahmed’s just-released Endrendrum Punnagai, a story of male bonding and love.
“Shooting for the film was a scream,” says Vinay. “We were all in the same age group, and sat together to develop our scenes. Plus there was Nasser Sir. I have always put him on a pedestal and wanted to work with him. It’s amazing how he brings himself down to our age… there are no inhibitions.”
Endrendrum came to Vinay through Santhanam, who acted with him in Jayam Kondaan. “I’ve always wanted to share screen space with another hero. It’s a great test of your mettle. It helped that Ahmed came up with a youthful script,” says Vinay.
Speaking about Endrendrum…, he says it is a great entertainer. “I believe it is a ‘value for money’ movie.”
Analysing his hits and misses, the actor says he always wanted to do movies that were “different”. Which is why he rejected nearly a 100 ‘lover boy’ scripts after Unnale…Vinay also decided to do one film at a time and explore genres. “I did not want to be stereotyped.” But while two of his films worked, the third tanked. “I’d be lying if I said I was not crushed. But, I told myself that success and failure greet you in every field. Why should this be any different?”

It was the 2012 mass film Mirattal that turned the tide in his favour. “2013 has been a learning curve for me. I learnt what to do and what not to,” he says.
Vinay hails from a non-film background. His only exposure to the medium was watching English classics with his family. “I love old-fashioned movies,” he says. Rugby was his first love. He played for his home state (Karnataka), for the country, and then gave it all up for the movies. “I gave up something I loved for something I might fall in love with,” he smiles. “I am a product of the Jeeva school of movies,” he says of the cinematographer-director who died tragically young when shooting in Russia. “He taught me all I know. The one year I worked with him was like a crash course in acting. And, yes, I did fall in love with movies,” he recalls.
Vinay calls himself a director’s actor. “In good hands, I can prove myself.” The actor concedes that there’s no guarantee for success, but says he thrives on hope. He now places his trust on the new generation of directors who are willing to take creative risks. “I don’t do movies for money or fame. I do them because they enrich my life,” he says.
And, he plans to be in the industry for a long, long time. “I wish to be in front of the camera all my life.”
 for more details : http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/
 Vinay Rai

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Comfort zone

Director Nesan talks about his pet project Jilla and getting actor Vijay on board

When actor Vijay agreed to do Nesan’s Jilla after listening to the script for a full two and a half hours, the director was ecstatic. But he waited two long years to hear back from the actor. Despite knowing Vijay almost always keeps his word, Nesan grew restless.
 As time went by, Nesan decided to move on with his Telugu film. “You won’t believe it, on the day of getting the advance from a Telugu producer, Vijay called me and said that I am directing his next film,” he says. He took the next flight to Chennai and met the actor, who promised that “everything required to make Jilla the way I envisioned will be made available”. Nesan had previously made Muruga, in which, he says, he had to compromise a lot in terms of content and production value. And he decided he would have none of it this time around. With RB Choudary on board, the film became big. 
Luckily, Nesan met Vijay when the actor was going though a transformation which offset any apprehensions the director would have had with regard to tweaking the content to suit Vijay’s image. “After working in films such as Nanban and Thuppakki, he was very clear that the film should be sensible and closer to life. If I narrated a stunt scene where he was doing something unrealistic, he would stop me and ask me to keep it simple.” Yet, one cannot take Vijay out of a Vijay film. It is a film set in Madurai. “But, it won’t focus on the rural Madurai which we have seen in many films. In Jilla, I have tried to showcase a Madurai in transition: semi-modern, a more urban Madurai. It is not just a film to prop-up the hero, there is a story in it.” Unwilling to elaborate on the role Malayalam superstar Mohanlal is playing, Nesan says that he is Vijay’s guru in the film. “When I was at the film institute, I used to watch a lot of Malayalam films. I couldn’t think of anyone other than Lal when I wrote this character,” smiles Nesan.
 for more details : http://tamilcinemanewsdaily.blogspot.in/
 Jilla

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