Restaurant Review - Hotel Crescent - Anna Nagar

Name: Hotel Crescent
Address: Located near SBOA Matric School, Annanagar.
Introduction & Expectations:

Its a newly opened branch of the famous crescent hotel in Nungambakkam. Had tasted their Shawarma before, which was really good. Today we planned to go for a complete dinner there.
Ambience and Service:

Their parking space is sufficient for some 8 cars at a time, and there is also Valet Parking available, which was good. The ambience was just average, there was some very dim lighting (don't know why it has become a trend these days) and they have tried to place maximum number of seats into the available place, so the entire place looks a little cramped for space. Food:

We ordered for Hot and Sour chicken soup, BBQ Chicken full , Ghee rice and chicken curry , Falooda and Tender Coconut Paayasam for desserts. 

Hot & Sour Chicken Soup:

The soup looked good, but tasted bland. Only after adding a little of salt did the soup taste good. 

The Barbecue Chicken:

BBQ chicken was just awesome. It was not like the regular BBQ which you get in most of the Arabian cuisines. Their masala was diiferent and it had a tinge of spicy tang to it and the juicy chicken made the eating experience awesome. I could rate the food five on five if I had eaten only this item. It was too spicy, tasty and went well with the sauces provided. Main Course:

We had also ordered Ghee rice and chicken curry combo. The Ghee rice was plain basmati rice fried in a bit of ghee with a little bit of salt and dry grapes, much like the regular jeera rice in north Indian food. The Chicken Curry combo was like the traditional 'kari kozhambu' you are used to eating with all the spices in the right proportion. Overall, it was good but a tad too heavy, and definitely one person cannot eat that alone.
Desserts:

Coming to the desserts, the first dessert that me and my friends could not take our hands off was the Falooda.

It had more of the strawberry flavour to it, but was still heavenly in taste. The traditional mixture of cherries, then ice cream, then cut fruits and the jelly was perfectly followed to a T. However, I felt the quantity of Falooda was less for its price, but the taste was too good to complain.

The tender coconut payasam was even better than the Falooda.

It had some soft tender coconut pieces floating in some chilled tender coconut water and milk. After having such a spicy meal (BBQ chicken) , it was like a heaven drinking this one :) The bill came to INR 800 for three of us :) They accept Sodexo Vouchers too :) A big plus for IT guys like me :P A word on the service: the manager was very friendly with us. When the waiters were busy, he personally went to each table and helped them. My rating would be Food - 4 Service - 3.5 Ambience - 2 VFM - 3.5

Overall: 3.25/5.

Definitely Worth a Visit!

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Kingsman The Secret Service - Leaves You Gasping For More

Movie: Kingsman - The Secret Service
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L Jackson
Cinematography: George Richmond
Music: Henry Jackman and Matthew Morgeson

Expectations:

Matthew Vaughn comes riding after the twin successes of 'Kick Ass' and 'X-Men: First Class' and obviously expectations are high in this movie featuring a relatively fresh cast. The fact that Colin Firth plays a super spy is, quite a surprise considering that he is usually seen in affable or genial roles (remember his Oscar winning performance in 'The King's Speech'?). Added to the fact that Samuel.L.Jackson gets to play a cool baddie here ensured the audience can be expecting some cool one-liners. The trailer promised much and so, we had quite a bit of expectations walking into the theatre.


Plot:

A super secret spy organization, who operate independently without obligations to national or private interests, to eliminate threats to humanity, searches for a replacement for one of their recently martyred agents, Lancelot. Each of their members are recommended to nominate a promising kid and Galahad (Colin Firth), who feels a strong sense of attachment to a promising street kid, Garry 'Eggsy' Unwin (Taron Egerton), due to a past obligation, recommends him. Just as a the recruitment is in progress, a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius, Valentine (Samuel L Jackson) who aims to cull the world population to bring order to this chaotic world.

Performances:

Kudos to Colin Firth to have gone out of  his comfort zone to essay the role of a smart, jacket-wearing super spy. This is bad-ass with class and Firth makes the role his own. The action sequences involving him are terrific and especially the church scene would remain etched in the audience's mind for quite some time for it's action choreography and the near flawless way that Firth has performed in it.

Taron Egerton as Eggsy is a revelation and at no time does he look flustered at the presence of bigger stars. He could be one new face to watch out for. Sophie Cookson as Roxie, his co-competitor in the recruitment and the eventual friend who helps in the fight against Valentine's plan and Michael Caine as Arthur (watch out for his performance in a particular scene towards the end of the movie) all do justice to their roles.

Samuel Jackson has great fun playing the antagonist here and the complicated role seems to be a cake-walk for the veteran. Sofia Boutella as his loyal sidekick Gazelle with blades for legs just adds to the weirdness quotient.


Technical Departments:

Vince Vaughan is one of those new-age directors who do not give a 'sodding' damn about the needs of a structured screenplay or the need to have stereotypes such as a good hero or a bad villain. In his movies, most people are foul mouthed, the heroes don't mouth the punch lines as much as they show through their actions and the villains are super weird.

The screenplay is deliberately slow at times, but always entertaining. There is a good amount of tension build up in scenes involving the confrontation between Valentine and Galahad and there is great fun in the way the recruitment process is conducted to select the next Kingsman. You can see why they would like for the next Kingsman to be not just a team player, but also ruthless and why, Eggsy with a heart of gold was never going to be the perfect fit.

There are plot-holes as to why the secret super spy organization cannot detect the tracking nano chip planted by Valentine on Galahad and pressing questions as to how Valentine dictates terms to all the world leaders without ever leaving a trace of his activity, but those are for another deep thinking reviewer interested in nitpicking.

Cinematography by George Richmond is functional, with the church massacre scene deserving a special mention and music by Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson is pacy whenever the movie demands it.

What Works:

The great casting, performances and some memorable dialogues.

What Doesn't:

Minor plot-holes and tad-lengthy run time.

Verdict:

Excuse the plot holes and give this terrific action movie a watch. It would leave you gasping for more.

Rating: 8/10.

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Enakkul Oruvan Review - Good, but can't better the original

Movie : Enakkul Oruvan
Cast : Sidhharth,Deepa Sannidhi,Narain
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
Direction : Prasad Ramar
Screenplay : Pawankumar

Expectations :

Enakkul Oruvan, directed by debutante Prasad Ramar, is the official remake of the crowd funded Kannada superhit "Lucia" by debutant director Pawankumar. The original had fresh faces, but the refreshing concept made the small budget venture a huge hit. The tamil version has got some popular faces like Sidhharth, Narain onboard and was expected to better the success of the original. Does the movie live up to the expectations ? Let's see.

Plot :

The movie revolves around Vichy (Sidhharth), an insomniac worker in a theater owned by Dubai (Narain). Situations lead him to get hold of a sleeping pill Lucia - which is not just that. It is a dream inducer, and induces dreams of what a person thinks about, and the dream will continue whenever the person sleeps, forever. Meanwhile he also falls for a simple girl Divya, working in a pizza shop. He dreams of a sophisticated life, where Vicky is a superstar, and Divya is an upcoming model and aspiring film actress, with Durai being his only companion/mentor.

Vicky the star's life is constantly under threat, besides he need to save his love as well.The reality too gets tough, at a point when Durai is killed and Vicky takes over the theater. When we look out for the culmination of the dream and the reality parts with an apt end, Enakkul Oruvan throws a surprise revelation at the end, which is just mindblowing, and makes the whole movie viewing experience worth it.

Performances :

Sidhharth doesn't quite fit in as the local theater worker guy, and his dialogue delivery as well the looks seems forced and artificial. Though he emotes well in that part, it takes the backseat when compared to the uber cool and stylish superstar Vicky. As the star living a luxurious life, he exhibits the feel of a man enjoying lavish lifestyle, the ego, anger and desperation with consummate ease. Credits to his stylist for this particular role.

Deepa Sannidhi impresses more as the pizza shop girl, and does a fairly decent job in the other role as well. The girl shows traces of acting, and is sure to go places if she could improve her emoting abilities further (lessening the focus on glamour, which she actually specializes in!!). Narain does a fine supporting act that deserves mention. The other artistes including Muneeskanth fame Ramados, Maheshwaran (Office TV serial fame), Yog Jaypee and Srushti Dange (definitely could have gone for a better casting for her part) are wasted in insignificant roles.

Technical Departments and Direction:

Gopi Amarnath's cinematography captures the black and white stylish part of the star vicky as well as the surroundings of the poor theater staff vicky perfectly. Santhosh Narayanan could have come up with even better numbers, though "Prabalamagavey" conveys the lifestyle of the superstar and "Poo avizhum" just gels well with the theme of the movie. However, he compensates with his impressive BGM for most part. Leo John Paul's editing could have been taut, and they could have definitely trimmed few sequences and chopped off 2 songs (the one with the foreigners in particular) to improve the pace of the movie.

Debutant Prasad Ramar has played safe, and has opted for a scene by scene remake without any change to the original. However, the movie (even in its original) moves at its own pace, and often tests the patience of the viewer. Besides casting Sidhharth in the local guy's part just doesn't work, even though he comes up with an earnest performance. And complete credits to the screenplay by Pawankumar, especially for the stunning climax. Prasad could have done away with two songs (Yendi and Kutti poochi), which could have definitely improved the viewing experience. The plot is simple, even in both the parts (Dream/reality) and as the best part comes only in the end, Prasad could have pepped up the proceedings with interesting sequences to sustain viewer's interest.

However he decides to stick to the original screenplay, and as a result Enakkul Oruvan becomes a patience test for few viewers who come in looking for pace,action and all other masala elements that one could associate with any commercial movie. However, if you are looking for something different, Enakkul oruvan will surprise you, with its well conceived climax.

What works : The superb climax, Sidhharth in the stylish star part, BGM

What doesn't : Sidhharth's unconvincing theater guy act, Lack of pace, songs.

P.S: For those who haven't watched Lucia (original), and for those who love to see something new, Enakkul oruvan will be a treat !!

VERDICT: Clear the patience test, you could enjoy this dream pill Lucia.
7.5/10

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Kaaki Sattai Movie Review - Siva delivers , but the cop story lacks punch !!!

Kaaki Sattai Review:

Cast : Siva Karthikeyan,Sri Divya,Prabhu,Vijay Raaz.
Music : Anirudh
Direction : Durai Senthilkumar.

Coming from the successful combo of Durai Senthilkumar-Sivakarthikeyan-Dhanush which made the entertaining Ethir neechal, Kaaki Sattai had a lot riding on it, especially due to the cold reception given by critics to Siva's previous one Maan karate. Besides, the movie bears the name of the 1985 Kamal Hassan superhit. So what's Kaaki Sattai all about ?? Let's see. 

Plot and Performances: 

Crime branch constable Mathimaran is a wannabe supercop,who aspires to serve the society with the cop-job.Only that the people above don't let him to be a real cop.But circumstances force Mathimaran to deal with a deadly red market(organ trade) racket, and the high profile VIPs behind.Does Mathimaran hunt down the criminals and eliminate the organ trade racket,and whether his career reaches the high that he dreams for is what Kaaki Sattai is all about.

It's a Siva karthikeyan show again(as it is the norm with every other movie of him!!),but for once, we get to see a different Siva for most part. As the sincere policeman he displays the right amount of anger and fire(the interval block action sequence is a stunner from Siva, and is a far better attempt compared to the climax action sequence of Maan karate,where Siva totally looked out of place).

Sivakarthikeyan tries to do a vijay be it in his body language or mannerisms or energetic dances,and hopefully he takes care of that and avoids that in his next movie,for,we like to see the original siva,whose stronghold is the comic sense,and not this siva who tries to ape some one else.

Comedy is Siva's forte, and in all his previous movies, he has taken complete care of that angle with an able company(Soori/Sathish).Surprisingly, except for few sequences in the first half's beaten to death romance track,and a particular block in the second half(with the now famous "Hara hara Maha devaki" - the theater erupts in laughter for this one!!) the comedy is totally left to Imman annachi, and he tries hard to evoke laughs, only in vain as most of the lines fall flat. Sri Divya, is a pretty doll,and is made to romance Siva,and give him company,and Kaaki Sattai doesn't provide any platform for her acting prowess.Besides, her make up could have been definitely toned down much( that heavy coating of lipstick throughout the runtime just spoils!!).Prabhu in an extended supporting role as the senior cop who helps Siva gets to play another cliched character that doesn't quiet exploit the veteran's skills. Vijay Raaz as the principal antagonist fails to make an impact,and Durai senthilkumar ought to have designed the character in a really menacing way rather than this stereotypical characterization. Talented actors like Yog Jaypee,Nagineedu,and Kalpana are wasted in poor characters. 

Technical Departments and Direction : 

Cinematography by Sukumar is impressive , as he makes every song visually appealing(Kadhal Kan kattudhe and Iam so cool in particular), and the stunt sequences are captured very well. Anirudh's BGM appeals more than songs(most of them falling flat except for Kadhal Kan Kattudhe - thanks to the splendid visuals,and the other songs get a notice for the ever-improving dancing skills of Siva),and it gives the much needed mass impact in several sequences and action blocks(the interval block,deserves mention, for elevating Siva's projection as a mass hero).Noor's editing could have been better, as the movie requires trimming, to pep up the otherwise dull proceedings in the first half. 

Durai Senthilkumar, who mixed athletes and the fraudulent practices in gender tests into the story of a man who hates his name in Ethir neechal, has chosen the story of an aspiring supercop who eliminates an Organ trade racket.This time round, he has let go of the strong point in his previous movie - the sense of humor which was appealing and was intertwined with the plot. Kaaki Sattai is serious for most part, and that becomes a negative as well, as this Shirt is worn by someone who's known and liked for his comic sense.But Siva's sincere efforts considered, Durai should have delivered a convincing screenplay,and that's where he has letdown Siva big time. The first half moves at a leisurely pace,with pointless conversations between Siva and Imman which were intended to be humorous, and that romance track which is neither humorous nor sustains interest.However the 20 minutes before the interval, moves at a rapid pace, and keeps the viewer engaged ,expecting a pacy action packed second half. But with the revelation of the real villain and the end of Yog jaypee's character,the second half takes the cliched route, and becomes much predictable. The Hero-villain chase game should have been interesting, but that's dealt with in an amateurish way,involving Manobala( the whole track looks forced, trying to evoke laughs, and could have gone worse,if not for Siva's Hara Hara mimicking). Durai totally ignores logic in the unsatisfactory climax sequence, as he just aims to end the drag.Constable Mathimaran,at one instance ,looks damn serious, speaking the values a policeman must possess, and the very next moment is seen trying to act funny- and that exactly is Kaaki Sattai. The movie tries to be a tribute to cops and be funny as well, but ends up neither here nor there. 

What works : Siva, the occasional humor,Interval block. 

What fails : Songs placement, the dragging first half, uninteresting hero-villain clash.

VERDICT : Siva delivers, but the cop story lacks punch. 5.5/10

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Badlapur Movie Review - A Gripping Tale with A Subtle Message

Movie: Badlapur
Language: Hindi
Running Time: 132 Minutes
CBFC Rating: A
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Naazzudin Siddique, Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam, Vinay Pathak and Radhika Apte

Expectations:
Badlapur comes from director Sridhar Raghavan three years after the debacle called 'Agent Vinod'. And it has 'Varun Dhawan' in the lead, someone touted to be the next 'bhai' in town, rather than anything else. There are also comparisons to the 'Ek Villain' storyline, which had released last year. Unfortunately, the irony of it all is that 'Ek Villain' was an outright Indianized version of  the cult Korean movie 'I saw the Devil' and 'Badlapur' is a pretty original attempt, as far as this reviewer could see. Either way, the expectations for the movie was muted and the only thing that was being hyped about the movie was Atif Aslam's Jeena Jeena. Which was sad, because this movie is so much more.

Plot:
Raghav (Varun Dhawan) works at an ad-agency in Pune and is happily married to Misha (Yami Gautam) with a son. When a bank robbery by Liak (Nawazuddin Siddique) and Harmaan (Vinay Pathak) goes wrong, Misha and her son are caught in between as collateral damage and are left for dead. Liak lets his friend escape with a money promising to return soon, but gets caught by the police. With his world shattered, Raghav has only one goal in mind: revenge, and he would go any lengths to get his revenge. Liak, who realizes that Raghav would not let him live in peace decides it's enough being bad and tries to turn around his life for the better. Ultimately, what happens to both of them forms the rest of this intriguing plot.

Performances:
You can go to the movie doubting the acting prowess of Varun Dhawan. That is a good thing, because he will prove you wrong. In his small career of three movies, young Dhawan was the typical masala hero who can woo any girl and fight any villain. But not here. Badlapur is to Varun Dhawan what Haider was to Shahid Kapoor. Both as the loving husband and the shattered alcoholic, he shows that he can emote and even match the other veterans that he shares the screen space with. The transformation from a likeable, sweet husband to a brutal, unflinching murderer has been essayed perfectly and it will remain one of Varun Dhawan's best performances for some time to come.

The show-stealer, as expected is Nawazuddin Siddique. As Laik, the bank-robber who wants to make it big, he is the bad-guy you hate at first, but someone who grows on you and earns your sympathy as the tale unfolds. He is fragile, he makes some stupid mistakes (one grave one as well), he loves his mom and his Jhimli (Huma Qureshi) and he is almost likeable. Siddique had deftly underplayed a role which could have so easily become a typical anti-hero role. He is flawed, no doubt, but you tend to like him because you can relate to his flaws, so you kind of hope that Raghav does not kill him.

The other strong pillars of this movie are the leading ladies. Everyone's character has been carefully etched and they remain true to their roles. Yami Gautam's is actually a brief cameo. There are barely four scenes of her throughout and it could have dampened the pace if not for Yami's charming screen presence. But which Tamil girl is named 'Misha', Mr. Sridhar? Radhika Apte as Koko, who does not mind sleeping with a guy to save her husband and Huma Qureshi as Jhimli, the prostitute and love interest of Laik, essay bold roles and deserve special applause for doing what Indian leading ladies would consider 'offbeat' to do. In between all this, Divya Dutta holds her own as Shoba, an activist for prisoners' welfare.

In between all that, did I mention that Vinay Pathak as Harmaan, displays some brilliant histronics and effective underplay as the confused partner of Laik? That is like some dream cast and I haven't mentioned the greedy pot-bellied police officer and the protagonist's mom who wants to shop 'idli-dosa batter' for their south Indian in laws. Truly, the biggest plus of this movie is the detailing of each character, even the minute ones.

Where it does lack though is a seemingly swift shift from the present time to 15 years later where there isn't much of a change in appearance for any character. The jump in time is a little jarring and too convenient to push the story, but not convincing enough.

Technical Departments:
Music by Sachin-Jigar is apt and up the tempo of some scenes, especially the opening scene where you are biting your nails on the edge of your seat and cinematography by Anil Mehta is good especially because it's realistic and does not try anything too fancy. There's no unnecessary top-angle, bottom-angle, wide-angle shots to just show that the cinematographer to display his complete resume in this movie. That is refreshing, for a change!

Direction by Sridhar Raghavan gives this movie an edgy, dark mood as in Ek Hasina Thi and Jhonny Gaddar and nothing seems to be predictable. That is good because, there seems to be no pre-planned plot, just characters driving the story to an end. What a comeback this has been for him!

Positives:
Exemplary performances by a stellar cast, detailed characterization and the transformation of good to bad and vice versa are well documented.

Negatives:
The time-lapse of 15 years all of a sudden is jarring. The ending gets a bit preachy and was not exactly necessitated. It was obvious what was happening and I had found myself enjoying how unstated and beautiful the transformation of characters were and Raghavan spoils it in the end, where he makes Jhimli preach Raghav the virtues of non-violence. Oh, please!

Verdict:
Despite minor flaws, this is an enjoyable offering and a welcome return to form for Sridhar Raghavan.

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Thamizhukku En Ondrai Azhuthavum - Interesting premise but patchy execution!

Thamizhukku En Ondrai Azhuthavum

Cast : Nakul, Dinesh,Sathish, Urvasi,Bindhu Madhavi, Aishwarya Dutta.

Music : S.S.Thaman 

Direction : Ramprakash Rayappa.

Coming from Debutante Ramprakash Rayappa, Thamizhukku en Ondrai Azhuthavum falls in the hyperlink cinema category (Vaanam, Chennaiyil Oru naal.etc). The lead actors Nakul and Dinesh are desperate to earn a hit, after the previous releases(Vallinam and Thirudan police respectively) bit the dust despite critics favoring them.So what's TEOA about? Let's see.

Plot:  The movie is based on the geo-magentic storm , and its after effects on mobile users in Chennai, linking 4 different characters - Mugil, a real estate promoter(Dinesh), Vasanth ( A tech wizard from Otteri),a cab driver (Sathish) and a terrorist plotting a bomb blast(Asif) in Chennai.How Vasanth plays a pivotal role in overcoming the effects of the geo-magentic storm, in the process helping Mugil getting his girl,besides saving lots of lives is what TEOA is all about.

Performances:

Nakul after a pretty decent performance in Vallinam, once again comes up with a neat performance as the unrecognized brainy techie Vasanth, who can provide a quick solution for things(He has improved much on his voice and body language, which helps him create the impact).

Dinesh still is in his Attakathi hangover, however gets through as the character does not demand a great performance from him. It's high time he makes a note of his dialogue delivery and performances,which is getting monotonous.After that awesome act in Cuckoo, Dinesh is now facing the danger of getting typecast in Attakathi type roles.

Sathish,after his not so funny acts in recent movies he featured (Kathhi, Aambala),tries to tickle the funny bone here too, and partly succeeds with his oneliners and counters. The best character artist in the movie is Urvasi, as the mother of Nakul, she impresses with her comic acts and dialogues with the right mix of tech and satire (ECE easy aa padichudureenga....practical thaan onnum theriya maatenguthu).The heroines do not have anything to do in TEOA, as they are reduced to mere set properties. Bindhu Madhavi looks like a doll, and that's it.

Technical departments:

Thaman's BGM doesn't quite create the impact needed for this social thriller genre taking place in a day.There are 2 songs in TEOA,and they do not deserve any mention.Deepak Kumar padhy's cinematography is apt. Editing by Sabu is taut, and at a crisp 2 hrs and 21 minutes, TEOA doesn't test the patience of the viewers.

Direction:

Debutante director Ramprakash Rayappa has come up with an interesting premise, with lot of technical concepts involved, and he fairly succeeds with his story telling abilities. The way he uses Nakul's character to interlink every other character and impact their lives,and making the intended funny character of Sathish as the fulcrum (besides, the mobile thief role helps the screenplay perfectly) deserves a pat.

The characterisations are quirky and interesting, but Ramprakash, could have come up with some more interesting sequences rather than just making Vasanth speak technical things throughout the movie (the second half has him speaking terms like BSC, TRX and all that for most part, which may not sustain every viewer's interest), as it may not cater to all sections of the audience.The romance between Dinesh and Bindhu Madhavi could have  been more lively, and the whole track looks forced just to make sure there's this subplot too in the movie.Otherwise, Ramprakash could have done away with just 2 roles, with Dinesh taking up Sathish's role. Nevertheless, TEOA is a decent,engaging entertainer, that won't let you down.

What works:

The concept and the characters.

What doesn't:

Lack of interesting sequences,a flat climax.

VERDICT: Interesting backdrop and characters make this one worth a watch.

6.5/10

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Anegan Movie Review - Dhanush Hits the Bull's Eye Again!

Anegan

Cast: Dhanush,Karthik,Amyra Dastur,Ashish Vidyarthi.

Direction : K.V.Anand

Music: Harris Jayaraj.

Cinematography: Om Prakash.

Anegan comes from the fresh combo of Dhanush - K.V.Anand ,and has released with decent expectations after the former's 2014 blockbuster Velayilla Pattadhari, and the latter's dud Maatrraan. From the promos and the trailers, one could tell that Anegan is a fantasy love story that transcends time. Let's see what Anegan is all about.

Plot:

Madhu (Amyra) has consistent visions of her previous births, and gets to know the love story she had in her previous births. Justifying her visions, she also gets to meet Ashwin (Dhanush), her lover in her previous births. During her attempt to prove Ashwin about their bond that transcends across different timelines, she gets to know some shocking truths, and the evil surrounding her. Now it's up to Ashwin to realise who he was once, demolish the evil around Madhu, and unite with his love in this avatar. Whether he does so forms the rest of the plot.

Performances:

This is one movie where Dhanush's craze with the Gen Y audience is utilized more than his excellent acting abilities. Anegan is a cakewalk for Dhanush, and he excels in all the roles with consummate ease. Performance wise, he shines as the Vyasarpadi tough guy with a heart of gold, Kali, and the simple, innocent Burmese boy, Murugappa, lost in love. More than the techie Ashwin and the prince Ilamaran (the character appears only in Roja Kadale number and the climax), these two characters get a scope to emote, and are close to the audience. 

However, the scene stealer in this movie is Karthik, and this is his real comeback movie (he looked tired and underutilized in movies like Ravanan and Maanja Velu). As the suave and stylish techie boss Ravi Kiran - a mastermind with his own plans, and eyes set on a target for years - the navarasa nayagan is back!

The good looking Amyra Dastur, tries hard to emote, mouth Tamil lines, and though her lip sync is a matter of concern, the plot completely revolves around her, and she does a fair job.The rest of the artistes including Aishwarya Deven, Ashish Vidyarthi, Mukesh Rishi,and Jagan do not get much scope in the racy screenplay.

Direction:

K.V.Anand, makes a perfect comeback, with this rebirth-love fantasy action movie, after the disastrous Maatrraan. He has made use of Dhanush's thirst to experiment with different genres, and complements that with a pacy screenplay, sans major drags. He completely keeps the viewer engaged throughout, and makes the viewer think "What next?". The movie would have easily gone the Maatrrran way, had Ashwin started to explore on the thought stimulating drug and its effects on employees of Tentacles corp. But the way Karthik's character is designed,Dhanush's Kali-Murugappa act, the twists, the pacy screenplay, and the way K.V.Anand - Subha combo untie the knots in the plot and unravel the mystery in the second half sustains the audience interest, and take Anegan to the winning post.

Technical Departments:

Of the songs by Harris Jayaraj, Dangamaari tops, followed by Roja kadale and Aathaadi which are humworthy.The rest of the songs do not deserve mention, and actually hamper the pace of the movie. Om Prakash's cinematography captures the exotic Burmese locales, as well as the high-tech tentacles office.The Burma sequences carry splendid visuals ,and the fights are shot perfectly.

What Works:

A reasonably taut script with a fresh narration, good performance from the lead actors and excellent dialogues.

What Doesn't:

A few songs (YOLO in particular) which hamper the pace of the movie, and a few logical loopholes (like Aishwarya Deven's character doesn't have any huge impact other than Burmese part, and her character's mysterious end goes unexplained).

Verdict: You won't regret the time-travel journey with this Dangamari !!

8/10

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