Raja's read only memories

Appeared in expresso, the daily supplement of The New Indian Express on Tuesday, 28th December 2010 Movies scripted by Kamalhaasan have always provided fodder for the grey cells. When a potent mix of humour along with a strong subject comes your way, which is what K S Ravikumar's latest directorial, Manmadhan Ambu (Cupid's arrow) is, rest assured that you have an entertainer. Ambujakshi (Trisha), a successful actress who believes in long-lasting relationships, is engaged to Madanagopal (Madhavan), a leading businessman and a mama's boy, who is wary about her conduct with other actors and suspects her fidelity, leading to their breakup. Madan now deploys Major Mannar (Kamalhaasan) to spy on her. He travels in the same cruise liner that she and her friend Deepa (Sangeetha), a divorcee, do and gives constant updates about her activities, under the agreement that the medical expenses of Rajan (Ramesh Aravind), a cancer patient, are fully borne by him. A series of twists and tu...

Bharatiraja’s Sighappu Rojakkal ( Red Rose in Hindi), starring Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in the lead, is primarily remembered for its urban setting, as it was then a refreshing change from the rural background in his earlier movies, 16 Vayadhinile and Kizhakke Pogum Rayil . The wheel has now come a full circle with director Sasikumar (whose first film, the critically-acclaimed Subramaniapuram , was ensconced in rustic Tamil Nadu) adopting Chennai as the canvas for his latest offering, Easan , a movie that begins as a love story and slowly morphs into an thriller. Wealth or an urban background in a typical Indian movie has and continues to be strongly associated with evil and loose morals. A rich person in a typical Indian film is either the villain or at least has shades of evil, while the poor are, invariably, epitomes of virtue. Easan , unfortunately, not only wears such stereotypes on its sleeve, but also champions for it. However, the director ensures that he has an effective and ...