7aam Arivu - Seventh Sense is nonsense!

Theatre: Fame Cinemas
Show: 10.45 A.M, 26-Oct-2011
Status: Housefull

I decided to watch 7aam Arivu because of Surya and the amount of hype that surrounded the movie. I had a major reservation with the movie ever since Murugadoss made statements about Tamilian culture, heritage and all. Reeked of jingoism to exploit the average Tamilian. And why would he need to do that? The answer stared right from the screen. In simple terms, the movie sucks.

The only thing I liked in the movie was Surya. Holds his head high from a heap of ruins. The Bodhidharman act was really good and he was charming self as the modern day Arvind. His performance in stunts showed how much commitment he had made for the movie. Circus tricks, kung fu fights, dances...he could pretty much do nothing wrong. Shruthi Hasan was ok as the love interest. You could barely blame for an overwritten character. Villain is good. He can kick ass but no opportunity to act.

Technically, the movie is frustrating. Brilliant camera shots followed by some shoddy work. Hollywooditis at its peak at certain points. Note to the makers, a shaky camera is considered as a negative in recent Hollywood blockbusters. Its not something that gives your movie credit. Editing is also shoddy at places.

By far, the biggest or rather the only culprit is Murugadoss. You claimed that Hollywood would be queuing to remake this movie (or something like that!). When you make such loaded statements, back your ass. Else you will fall flat like this. Terrible screenplay and a bad story made from a very promising thread. Direction is shoddy. Lets forget about the science part in the movie. Everybody makes concessions so that movie becomes enjoyable to the masses. But even if you consider the watered down logic (or lack of it) in Tamil, the stuff you see in this movie is downright laughable.

Mind Controlling villain. I can digest that. But a mind controlling villain who is able to teach multiple people kungfu within 10 seconds and make the cars and bikes fly? The usual turncoat Indian who is paid 300 crores(!) as lumpsum with nearly zero motives who begins lecturing about the evil plans of the evil Chinese in intricate details like a study class. If you can digest that and a lot more you may be able to tolerate the movie.

Songs are forgettable. Ringa Ringa song though good to hear is not shot very well. Rest of the songs look really good but has a forgettable rhythm. BGM is downright terrible at some places. When did high pitched shreeking became a trademark of the Chinese?

SFX were decent to good. But in many places you could feel the artificiality. Value for the amount of money spent? Decide for yourself.

What really pisses me off is the amount of time this movie took in pre-production. Looks like while Surya was doing his jig, others were out partying hard. Screenplay looks like its been written in a week and the frames look like they been hastily put together. The amount of Tamil jingoism in the movie is irritating to say the least. Multiply the kind of philosophy that Shankar pushes out in his movies by 20.

At the end of the day, you feel bad for Surya. The man gave a lot for the movie. The movie could be a hit in TN thanks to Surya, but Murugadoss should hang his head in shame.

TL;DR: 7aam Arivu is a terrible disappointment laced with a non-existent screenplay and lacklustre direction.

Rating: Avoid.

Rakhta Charitra - 1 : A History written in blood

Posting the review I wrote in Forum Keralam.
Theatre: Innovative Multiplex, Bangalore, 24th October, 11:30 AM Show
Status: Balcony - No idea, must be around 80% First Class: 30-40% with 3-4 girls

To be frank, I expected a lot more violence looking at the various reviews. The movie sure has its fair share of it, but nothing revolting. I found it necessary and realistic enough for the topic tackled by the movie. Then again, it depends on the threshold of the viewer. The guy who sat next to often cringed and was hid his face when something gruesome was about to happen.

The film is based on the real life story of Paritala Ravi, a powerful politician in Rayalseema who lived and died by the sword.

Anantpur is place ruled by Narasimha Reddy, a powerful politician. Veer Bhadra is the trusted lieutenant of Reddy, who hails from the lower caste. Naga Reddy, the number two in the party is jealous of Veer Bhadra's relation with Narasimha. Naga Reddy manages to poison Narasimha's mind to turn him against Veer Bhadra which eventually culminates in Veer Bhadra's gruesome murder. This incident triggers of a spate of violence between the two factions led by Veer Bhadra's son Shankar played by Sushant Singh and Naga Reddy's son Bukka Reddy played by Abhimanyu Singh.

Shankar gets murdered and his brother Pratap Ravi played by Vivek Oberoi takes over the helm. The rest of the movie deals with how Pratap Ravi avenges the death of his father and brother, and how he transforms from a guerilla leader to a power politician.

The performances are top notch. You cannot name a single person who has underperformed or hammed in the movie. The best performer by far was Abhimanyu Singh. He plays the brutal Bukka Reddy to perfection. Bukka Reddy enjoys murdering people in the unconventional manner. Bukka kills people for pleasure and kills his own people when he is angry. A rampant womaniser who literally lifts women from the streets and rapes them. Abhimanyu is successful in creating the aura of unpredictability around the character and spite in the minds of the viewers. Vivek Oberoi has performed really well. Probably his best since Company. He is controlled when required and at his smouldering best in certain scenes. The surprise comes in the form of Shatrughan Sinha. Shotgun is left in the cupboard and he acts the smooth Shivaji Rao (probably inspired by NTR) to perfection.

There is a scene which shows how violence is a routine for the people. Bukka Reddy is smashing the pulp out a man's leg with a rifle butt in the front yard of his home. The lady in the house saunters out and asks Bukka whether he wants to come to the temple as if he is sipping tea. Bukka pauses, replies in the negative, and continues his work. The lady without a blink gets into a car and leaves.

The movie is filled with RGV signature shots. The close-up shots, wacky camera work. Fast frames. The director is near top form after a long time. For me, this is one of his better works and the best work in quite some time although the movie is nowhere near Satya or Company. Sound is very loud and felt a bit unnecessary. The BGM is over the top in most places. It felt grating in the beginning, but afterwards it synced with the tempo of the movie. Same holds true for the weird sound of the narrator.

The movie had a satisfactory ending making the viewer crave for more. A short synopsis of what is to be expected in the second part is shown in the end. Surya dominates the section and it sets the tone for the next part. Priyamani is also shown in the montage and probably Sudeep will have a bigger part to play. He was introduced as an intel officer after the first half with no part after that.

TL;DR: Rakhta Charithra is a must watch for the connoisseurs of political-thrillers, provided you can stand the amount of blood and gore.

Rating: 7.5/10