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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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,…

Read More

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…

Read More