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Monday, April 26, 2010

67. To see or not to see?

Today didn't start on a very good note for I chose to catch Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya at the theatre. "Dilli ke theatre mein madraasi movie??" See, its simple. If you are a Tamilian residing in this part of the country, there are only two ways you get to see a Tamil movie. One, get a CD/DVD. Duh ! :| Second, wait for some Tam club or association to come up with the idea of screening it. Paisa vasool. Watch it free fund mein. Like how I did. Remember how they used to take us 5th grade kids for showing Baby's Day Out which was being screened at some Ficci Auditorium. Bah, not even a theatre. Anyway. Sometimes we go and watch movies just because 'everyone around is talking about it'. Somehow, I didn't know good things or bad things. :|

VTV left me devastated right in the very beginning when the cast and credits scroll across. It hit me like a slap on my face when the screen read "Starring Young Superstar Silambarasan". Starring WHAT Silambarasan?? :O :O To err is human. I forgive you, Gautham Menon. 15 minutes into the movie, I stretched my hands and let out a loud yawn - one that got the man sitting next to me move into the next nearest seat.

THE PLOT (or the lack of it)

Karthik(Simbu dumb-u) 'falls in love' with Jessie(Trisha) the moment he sees her. He chases her everywhere on his bike and once in a while, she smiles at him from the terrace(while she is on the phone), akin to throwing a 2-rupee coin to a beggar who hasn't had the sight of food for a week. He speaks Englees with a Tamilified accent, which has the same swear word in every 2 out of the 3 sentences. And yes, the 'bleep' doesn't help, Mr. Director. Ok, so he proposes to her. She says No. Her father will not approve of a Hindu boy apparently. Our persistent hero goes all the way to Kerala in search of his love(without even knowing where she stays). His intelligence tells him she will come to the biggest church in town this Sunday(Why 'biggest'? Beats me.) They become 'friends'. Then she says yes. Then no. Then yes. Then no. Forgive me for losing count of the iterations this process goes through - I was busy yawning. Finally, she gets married(not to Karthik) and leaves for UK(note the phoren twist to the story). Our hero meanwhile has become a successful director and is about to release his first movie. Which is titled? 'Jessie'. While at it, he meets Jessie in the YouYes while shooting for an arbit scene. YouKay to YouYes jump? Till this point, I could atleast complain. Beyond this, the director himself is as confused as anyone else watching the movie screen. So, no comments.

To put it succintly, hero loves heroine. Vice versa. Dad says no. Repetitive dialogues. Audience wails, "Ayyyoooo !". Story ends.

Highs :

1. Simbu looks good and smart(for a change). Trisha's wardrobe change is totally win-win.
2. Good cinematography.
3. ARR, needless to say, emerges out the lone 'Vinner'. :D
4. Ganesh, the sidekick. At one point, I was looking forward to his next appearance.
5. The story has a natural flow to it. Things you can relate a girl going through in such a situation. Her confusion and inability to come up with a clear decision. Realistic to some extent.

Lows :

1. No storyline to keep the viewer hooked for 3 hours. The film drags beyond a point where you know things aren't going smooth between the two. Script has too much of repetition.
2. Actors - Though they shared a decent chemistry on-screen, mediocre performances took the charm away. Trisha might mesmerise the audience with her looks, but then, that will be it.
3. The on-screen lead in Simbu's film - Naga Chaitanya. All-time low. :|
4. The end. Obviously. Unwarranted.

P.S. This might be a mean review, but couldn't help it. Overhyped GVM-ARR combo.
P.P.S. Writing a review 2 months after the movie got released. :|
      

22 comments:

  1. I heard so much abt Vtv one from the die hard fans of the movie and others who totally wrote it off.. one of the few movies in recent times that in my opinion has ppl belonging only to the above mentioned category..

    Loved what u have to say abt the movie, very well put. Felt the same way as well, spare a few parts that still refuse to leave me..

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  2. The movie sure had its moments, not to deny. The over-the-top reviews I had heard set in high expectations, I suppose. One can really relate to the protagonists ; I was looking for someone who could better story-tell.

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  3. No clue about the movie...but ur review was funniee :)

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  4. You watch the movie (for free), write a long review (implying you saw it FWIW) and then dig and slam it (maybe for the heck of it). :-) :-)

    For one, you had something nice to say about the dork lord Simbu. :-) :-) and some good things about the movie. Arre Wah!

    Definitely a slowwww movie, but that is what I liked in it. It crawls at its own leisurely pace, stops and starts and is never rushed. Good pun in 'Vinner'. :-) :-)

    Aaga moththam ohssee saappaadu saaptuttu, saappadu sariyaa illainnu comment vera. :-) :-)

    Interestingly, this movie has polarized commentators. One side swears by how close to their reality this movie is and the other side (like you) saying it is all balderash.

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  5. LP,

    Good for me you haven't seen the movie. You prolly would have been hunting me own by now :):)

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  6. Ram,

    :P :P A good number of people have liked the movie for its pace. Which according to me, is non-existent :):)

    Sirjee, btw even I could relate to the movie to a certain extent. But there is a way to story-telling, which I felt was grossly missing. It couldn't keep me gripped. :)

    As far as saying nice things about Simbu is concerned, I am learning it the hard way :):)

    Osee sappadu yellarkkum pidikkanum nu avasiyam illiye :P

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  7. Wow! So, you finally got to sleep in a theatre :)

    No tamil movies for yours truly... very difficult language...

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  8. Gundu.. nice review :D Thank God I read this.. I was planning to go and see the movie. But I wasn't confident I'd be able to look at Simbu's face for a good 3 hrs :-|

    PS: Honestly, I'm tired of ARR just as I'm tired of Sachin. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are far, far better. Rahman's hay-days have drawn to a close.. I liked VV's music but the feel is more Harris Jayaraj than ARR, for some reason.

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  9. ROFL !!! lovely funny review...although I have no clue about the movie !!!

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  10. http://kollywood-movie.blogspot.com/2010/03/k-balachandar-letter-to-gautham-menon.html

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  11. i the movie liked...sila incidents..familiar situations..athelaam it reminded. its a very normal story..awesome meejic..and adorable trisha..kadisia epo ivlo azhaga irunthaannay terila :) she looks lovely....vera enna venum...paisa vasool movie :)

    ~gils

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  12. hey first time here :)

    Saw ur comment in Hitchy's blog where u were drooling over the guy so thought to pass on an info :D This guy features in the serial "Mahi Way" which comes on Sony, Friday 8-9. Good serial and the the guy looks awesome!!! :D

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  13. ~Roshmi,

    Couldn't get to sleep, but I did yawn! :)

    ~Gunds,

    Don't go by the review and shun the movie, I would say. A lot of people seem to have liked it. Give it a shot, gal :)

    I still dig ARR's music, but somehow apart from 1-2 songs in the movie, I didn't find the music extraordinary or anything, to be upfront.

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  14. Sid,

    LOL, yeah.

    Hitchy,

    It would be funny making you watch a Tamil movie :P

    Abu,

    Porum. K Balachander oda stamp onnu daan micchon indha moviekku :P

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  15. Gils,

    Frankly, I could relate to several portions of the movie. And it did remind me of similar situations around. But the movie was crawling at a snail's pace, with nothing to talk about after a while. Good for a teleserial.. but not for a movie. Trisha patthi ivlo feel pannuveenga nu nenakkalaye :P

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  16. Smita,

    He looks just so so awesome, doesn't he? *drool* Yea, I did catch up few episodes of Mahi Way just for him.. thanks for contributing towards this noble cause :D

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  17. It's good to hear that you did relate to the movie to a certain extent/ to several portions whichever is more accurate :P ... Your take on the plot is so very hilarious and makes me rethink.. 'Did I really like this movie? Lol' ... but then, having spent some time retrospecting, there is a certain honesty to the portrayal of emotions in this movie which made me take notice of the directorial touch of Mr.Goutham Menon...Coming to think of it, 'Hero chasing Heroine', 'finding her in one among 1000 churches', 'heroine saying yes', 'then saying no', 'then saying yes', repeated 1000 times can be arbitrary...at the same time concocted coincidence...who knows??!!

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  18. Ok nitpicker, I DID relate to the movie.. Why 'certain extent' or 'several portions' is more re or less the same thing in this case is because that's the only thing people can relate to in the movie. Either your girlfriend keeps saying yes-no-yes-no-yes or she doesn't. So varying degrees hardly matter ;)

    I do agree that there is some level of honesty in the emotions shown, because the actors have downplayed their respective characters... but not enough to keep me hooked. Oops, I said 'gripped' last time :P

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  19. VTV is one of the few movies that had me polarized both for and against. For me, the biggest (includes both good & bad) thing abt the movie (which happened to be fail) was the way the "love" progressed. I found it hard to believe the same guy gave us the love of Kaakha Kaakha. Comparisons are unfair, but the most clinching factor in love stories is how the onscreen romance grows on you. Which is what makes movies like Alaipayuthey, Kanda Naal Mudhal and Kaakha Kaakha absolutely epic. Modern-day love ishtory this might've been, still it (the louvessss, I mean) left me feeling extremely uncomfortable on multiple occasions. But of course, Trisha looking like a million bucks after a long time + doing a role which doesnt make her look like a dumb meatball for use by the hero + Simbu trying something different were good enough reasons to not completely diss the movie.
    But yes, I too realize I gave VTV too much time and attention. :P

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  20. Cow,

    You couldn't have put it in a better way. That thing about how the romance grows on you.

    Sadly, I haven't seen any of the movies you mentioned. Shared folder? :)

    Bored? Check
    Yawning? Check
    Sooper uncomfortable? Check

    IMHO, Trisha doesn't look all that great. Too much of hoopla. First Simbu movie I am seeing. Otherwise, trailors serve as caveats enough.

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  21. It happened to watch TR in VTV !!
    Huh ! Just 4,383 views till now..
    the decision landed in Anu's Blog !

    Sure , our Little Super Star would have felt guilty on his performance in this movie :) and to be the son of Talented TR

    Hope, our Kuralarasan will meet TR standards :)

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Liked it? Or liked it not? You told me once, but I forgot ! Your two cents mean a lot. :-)
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