When Deva says ‘Jithu Jilladi’ was a “unique experience” for him, he isn’t simply taking recourse in a cliché. He remembers the composer of the song, G. V. Prakash, as a timid boy who sang for him in Aasai . “Director Vasanth asked if we could use the boy who’d sung for ‘Chikku bukku rayile’. We…
Author: Sudhir Srinivasan
Ennul Aayiram: A portfolio movie
The opening credits of Ennul Aayiram are shown amid quick black-and-white shots of a gun cocking, vehicles hastening in traffic, a woman running her fingers through her hair… It’s all rather dark, literally, and sets you up for a thriller. So, you don’t really mind the rigmarole of introductions: the hero, Ashok (Maha), is part…
Shruti Haasan: Dude, I have bigger things to worry about
Something must have been bothering Shruti Haasan during our conversation. What, I am not sure, and of course, I didn’t ask. The interview began innocuously enough when I asked her about the comedy film she’s signed with her father, Kamal Haasan. “I’ve wanted to work with him for a really long time,” she said, tersely. She…
The beauty of imperfection
For the first 10 minutes of the Malayalam film Kali, I’ll admit to wondering if Sai Pallavi needed to wear more makeup. I wasn’t convinced she needed to look so real . No effort, it seems, had been expended in making her look like heroines often do: her hair wasn’t straightened, her acne wasn’t hidden,…
Jithan 2: Phantom menace
Watch the trailer here. (Also, I’m sorry I made you.) When you step into films like Jithan 2, you don’t quite expect to get blown away. You already know, at least on evidence from the trailer, that the film will only be so-so in aspects like technical finesse, storytelling subtlety, and acting prowess. What you…
Sudhir Srinivasan 