Wednesday Dec 17 2008, Chennai

The Nana Patekar effect!

The peerless Nana Patekar, who makes his debut in Bharathiraja's 'Bommalattam', has given an impressive performance in the role of a filmmaker who is committed to quality cinema.

Read on for the top 5 Tamil stars of the week.

1. Nana Patekar: Southbound!

There are not many mainstream filmmakers in India, who have stood the test of time. And Bharathiraja stands tall among them. His latest release, ‘Bommalattam’, stands testimony to the genius that he is.

‘Bommalattam’ has the peerless Nana Patekar (his first in Tamil) essaying the role of a film director committed to quality cinema. Arjun portrays an investigative officer.

It is a finely told crime thriller with a stunning climax.

Strength: Novel theme

Weakness: Poor marketing

B.O. Verdict: Average

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2. Suriya: The four avtaars!

The Goutham Menon magnum opus, ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’, is as much a director’s film as it is an actor’s. The film has Suriya enacting four phases in the life of a man—from an impressionable high school boy to an old man afflicted by cancer—with conviction. Not many have done multiple roles with such dexterity and poise as Suriya has in this movie.

Menon’s sensitive handling of the complex theme has been complimented by some terrific cinematography and BGM. Understated performances by Sameera Reddy, Simran and Ramya add to the charm.

At the end of four weeks, the collection in Chennai alone is (approx.) Rs. 5 crore.

Strength: Gautham Menon, Suriya, Harris Jeyaraj

Weakness: The running time!

B.O. Verdict: Hit

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3. Jeeva: Action sans brains!

In ‘Thenavattu’, Perarasu’s protégé V.V. Kathir has managed to dole out a garam masala on the lines of Perarasu flicks.

Jeeva’s action sequences are the highlight of this run-of-the-mill flick.

A unique aspect about the movie is that the director has chosen to portray transgenders in a respectable way, contrary to Kollywood norms.
At the end of three weeks, the total collection in Chennai is Rs. 85 lakh.


Strength: Action by Jeeva

Weakness: Clichés galore!

B.O. Verdict: Average

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4. Parvathy: Gal-next-door!

‘Poo’ is a stylishly told love story.

An adaptation of S.Tamil Selvan’s classic short story ‘Veyilodu Poy’, ‘Poo’ has turned out to be a decent grosser. Directed by Sasi, the film stars Parvathy and Srikanth.

At the end of two weeks, collections in Chennai stand at Rs. 41 lakh.

Strength: Good performances, quality script

Weakness: Screen-lag!

B.O. Verdict: Average

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5. Sandhya: Off the beaten track!

‘Mahesh, Saranya Matrum Palar’ has been criticised for being a slow-paced movie. Shakti Vasu, ‘Kadhal’ Sandhya and Saranya Mohan form the cast.

Directed by Ravi, the film has Sandhya playing one of her best roles to date.

The low-budget movie is expected to make modest profits at the B.O.

Total collection in Chennai at the end of the Week 2 has been Rs. 20 Lakh.

Strength: Good performances

Weakness: Old wine, oddly bottled!

B.O. verdict: Flop