Tamil Cinema in 2008-An Overview :
2008 was a mixed year for Tamil Cinema. On one hand you had movies with relatively lesser known actors and directors getting noticed and on the other hand while some of the bigger stars managed to come up with good movies, the other bigger stars brought out movies which fizzled at the box office. Given below is my personal take on the Tamil movies released in 2008-
Best Movies
1. Subramaniapuram- Directed & produced by Sasikumar, the movie starred Jai & Swati, both relatively unknown stars along with Sasikumar himself. The story had a background of Madurai in the 1980’s & dealt with a group of youngsters caught in a web of violence and deceit. The movie went on to be accepted both by the critics and the masses. Music by James Vasanth was a big asset to the movie.2. Anjathey- This was the 2nd movie directed by Mysskin after his Chitiram Pesudhadi.Starring Narain, Prasanna,Ajmal & Vijayalakshmi, people were surprised to see such a taut action thriller in a completely natural style well showcased by Mysskin. Camerawork by the DOP, Mahesh Muthuswamy as well as music by Mysskin himself also helped the movie.3. Dasavatharam- There has been a lot of debate among the critics and masses regarding the creative merits of the movie. Directed by K.S.Ravikumar & with story and screenplay by Kamal Haasan, there is no doubt that it was a true showcase of the talent of the genius called Kamal Haasan.Co starring Asin, Kamal went on to portray a landmark 10 roles in the movie. Music was by Himesh Reshamiyya.The movie did extremely well at the box office.4. Vaaranam Aayiram- This Gautam Vasudev Menon flick was sincere at heart and had Surya in the two roles of a father and son. Though the pace was a bit leisurely, the brilliant visuals by the DOP, Rathnavel and the music by Harris Jayaraj ensured that the movie captured our attention.5. Saroja- Inspired by ‘Judgement Day’, Venkat Prabhu’s 2nd directorial effort after Chennai 28 was a truly different movie for the tamil audiences. It was a well made thriller set in a race against time framework.
Decent Movies
1. Poo- Brave attempt by Sasi using the heroine as a protagonist. Parvathy’s performance was the highlight of the movie.2. Poi Solla Porom- UTV’s remake of their successful hindi movie- Khosla Ka Ghosla, this one directed by Vijay was a faithful remake.
Major Disappointments
1. Kuselan ( Rajnikanth)2. Kuruvi ( Vijay)3. Bheema ( Vikram)
4. Satyam ( Vishal)5. Aegan ( Ajith- fizzled out after a good opening)
Song of the Year-
Kangal Irundal from Subramaniapuram- a lilting melody by James Vasanth and sung byBelly Raj and Deepa Mariam.
Album of the Year-
Vaaranam Aayiram by Harris Jayaraj – undoubtedly.
Overall a very unpredicatable year for tamil cinema, lets see what’s in store for 2009.
Malayalam Cinema in 2008-An Overview :
2008 was a very average year for Malayalam cinema. The truly artistic movies seemed to be far and few.Hindi, tamil and dubbed telugu releases continued to flood the market in Kerala. Given below is my personal take on the Malayalam movies released in 2008-
Best Movies
Malabar Wedding- It was a small movie with Indrajeet and Gopika in the lead. Based upon a tradition called- ’sorakalyanam’ prevalent among some parts of the Malabar region of Kerala, the debutant director duo,Rajesh- Faisal was able to portray the tale in a very realistic way.Music by Rahulraj was also adequate.Thirakadha- Directed by Renjith and allegedly based upon the romance between Kamal Haasan and Srividya, Thirakadha was a poignant tale of a young director (played well by Prithviraj) trying to make a movie based on the romance between the current superstar and a yesteryear actress. Priyamani was brilliant as the actress. Overall a well appreciated effort.Gulmohar- Directed by Jayaraj,this movie marked the acting debut of director Renjith.As Induchoodan, a former naxalite who looks back at the earlier days of the naxalite movement and then sets forth on an unfinished mission, Renjith was clearly brilliant. Unfortunately the movie was not well received at the box office.Twenty: 20- Yes I am being a bit indulgent here in my choice. But having all the big stars like Mammooty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi,Dileep, Jayaram etc in a single movie and doing justice to them is not a joke. For this reason alone director Joshy and producer Dileep deserve all the applause. ( check out my write up http://passionforcinema.com/twenty-20-%e2%80%93-indias-biggest-movie-ever/#more-9128 for more details)Calcutta News- While this movie is not on the same level as director Blessy’s Kaazcha or Thanmadra, the movie was still reasonably realistic and had some good performances from Dileep and Gopika. It was another take on the flesh trade in Kolkata’s Sonagachi and reminded you of Kamal Haasan’s Mahanadi.Veruthe Oru Bharya- Jayaram made a strong comeback with this surprise hit. He played a typical nagging husband who believes that his wife ( Gopika) should just be happy enough to do whatever he says. One fine day Gopika rebels and leaves home. Though the movie did not have a landmark story, Akku Akbar the director was able to ensure that the movie brought the family audiences back to the theatre.
I am yet to watch some critically acclaimed movies like M.G.Sasi’s Adalayangal ( based on a work of Nandanar ),Akashagopuram (directed by K.P.Kumaran and starring Mohanalal based on Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder) and Thalappavu- (starring Lal & Prithviraj and directed by Madhupal). On the box office front, Mamooty and Mohanalal both had a good year. Apart from Twenty: 20, Mammooty had Rowdram, Annan Thambi and Maya Bazaar doing well while Parunthu was a flop. Mohanlal had Innathe Chintavishayam, Madambi and Kurukshetra doing well while his College Kumaran was a flop. Mohanalal also showed his commitment to smaller and artistic films remains intact as he did films like Mizhikal Saakshi and Pakal Nakshatrangal.The fact remains that the rot in Malayalam Cinema continues to remain and I am sincerely hoping that we see more quality cinema emerging in 2009.
Originally published on PFC.Check it here- http://passionforcinema.com/tamil-and-malayalam-cinema-in-2008-an-overview/ .
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