Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam

Many Selvaraghavan touches in a mixed bag It has always remained a mystery why Selvaraghavan’s scripts treat sex as some nasty, depraved business. The characters are most awkward discussing it—yes, even by Indian standards—and when they just have to, they spit it out like a piece of food that’s been wedged in their teeth for…

Good intentions but…

Sometime back, I was invited by an acquaintance — an upcoming director — for a ‘story discussion’. He had found a producer, but had no idea what his film should be about. He didn’t have even a one-liner, let alone a bound script. He was sure about one aspect though, and made a proud declaration…

Pasanga 2

More educative than entertaining It’s impossible to resist comparing Pasanga-2 with Taare Zameen Par . They’re both about disorders (here, it’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), they have a chirpy, animated protagonist who totally gets children, there are concerned parents who need to be counselled, and of course, both films make points against conventional teaching methods,…

We, who take offence

There’s a new disease out there. The symptoms include reddening of the eyes, a dramatic rise in blood pressure, eyes bulging, and a manic need to bite people’s head off. It is called Taking Offenciasis, and India seems to be suffering from quite the epidemic. It was in public display recently, when middle-aged women, who…

Thangamagan

A good core wasted in a masala template You can see why 7G Rainbow Colony is referenced in Thangamagan more than once, first when Thamizh (Dhanush) is shown cheering in the theatre, and next, when you’re shown a poster in the background as he’s talking to Hema D’Souza (Amy Jackson). Just like in that film,…