“Durga is a victim of guilt and loss; Manikandan has a sense of purpose; another character, a food delivery executive, is part of what should feel like a warm relationship too. And yet, not once did I find myself feeling overwhelmed, except, of course, when the dog gets into trouble—which, I suspect, speaks more about me than the film.”
Tag: Nayanthara
Darbar: An enthusiastic Rajinikanth propels this passable ‘bad cop’ film
“His Aaditya Arunasalam is a fairly hands-on cop, defined by his willingness to put himself in harm’s way first. But I suppose that’s because he’s a bit like Breaking Bad’s Walter White in a sense. He is not in danger; he is the danger. Notice that opening underwhelming introduction scene as he descends on rowdies from above, literally—this ‘god of commercial cinema’ armed with a trademark Murugadoss weapon (of which there’s a more inventive variety that comes later on in the film). Aaditya is shown to be revelling in these murders—that are shot like video game kills. He calls himself a “baaad cop” (a reference to Annamalai, of course). The newspapers, meanwhile, more accurately, call him a ‘mad cop’.”
Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy: Chiranjeevi is fiery, the film not so much
“Narasimha Reddy is introduced to us as an almost mythical character who was born dead, but is resurrected by the forces of nature—a thunder, to be specific. This is a film that labours quite evidently to try and be an epic.”
Mr Local: An unimaginative love story between an annoying man and an insecure woman
Imagine caring so little about novelty in writing that you still define the hero’s mother as one obsessed with television serials, and the hero’s sister as one with an annoyingly chirpy presence.
Imaikaa Nodigal: A strong cast packs a punch in this largely enjoyable thriller
“One is almost stoic, the other is sensitive to a fault. Later, during a moment of profound sadness and unimaginable pain, she still has the streetsmarts to notice a CCTV camera on the road. A CBI officer at work is one at home too.”