RIFLE RANGE BOY

Thalavii ( தலைவி,   Female Leader, Tamil, 2021) That is the problem with biopics, primarily if the script covers a big chunk of their lifetimes. In the desire to capture as much of the story as possible, the filmmakers will lose much and not do justice to the legacy they intended to show in the first place. It may end up as a documentary instead. So many things keep happening that it appears like a speeding bus. We notice neither the destination of the bus nor the passengers seated it.  No one is saying, but it is as plain as day that this biography is of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J Jayalalitha. This is also another problem in Tamil Nadu, where people are equally maniacal about their movie stars as they are with their political leaders. Hence, the scriptwriters walk on eggshells to ensure the storyline does not hurt the sentiments of viewers at the expense of messy court cases and the burning of screening halls. They are careful not to delve too deeply into somethi...

Sarpatta Paramparai (சர்பட்ட பரம்பரை, Tamil, 2021) Written, Directed by Pa Ranjith One can learn a thing or two by watching films, i.e. if one is bothered to check the backstory. This is one rare full-length boxing film in Tamil, coming from a land that usually infuses familial masala to the storyline. In keeping with the timeline the story is set in, in the 1970s, there is ample sprinkling of Tamil Nadu politics to set the mood. For once, we see actors who really look their part as boxers. The make-up, boxing techniques and the make-believe props that cradles us back to the mid-1970s are convincing enough. Before watching this film, I did not know that boxing was a passionate sport in northern Madras even before the 1940s. Boxing came to India with the British. In Tamil Nadu, it was named 'kuttu chandei', and it came with its own set of rules. Boxers could not hit each others' faces, not the body. In the early 1940s, it seems there was a black British boxer (some say he is...

Ragasiya Police 115 (Tamil, 1968; Secret Police 115) This MGR-Jayalalitha flick is supposed to be Tamil cinema's answer to Ian Fleming's James Bond and Hollywood's swashbuckling loverboy Errol Flynn. Unfortunately, it turned to be more of a light romantic comedy with an occasional espionage work. The filmmakers decided to harp ever reliable time-tested chemistry of MGR-Jayalalitha and the one-man comedy machine of Nagesh, even though Nagesh does not appear in any of the scenes with the protagonist. To make it family wholesome, there was no dearth of melodious songs and eye-catching psychedelic Eastman colours. The film reminisces the typical 60s Indian movie where the typical crooks (Asokan and MN Nambiar) use trap doors, hidden switches and underground tunnels to hide their ill-gotten spoils. Hey, they are still using the same modus operandi for the same purpose in the 21st century! Ramu (MGR) is a secret CBI agent who is sent on a mission to thwart a clandestine ac...

Kalai Arasi (கலை அரசி, Queen of Arts, Tamil; 1963) Even when extra-galactical adventures, wars of astronomical proportions and extra-terrestrial visits in vimānas are mentioned in the Hindu scriptures, somehow, science fiction movies never really had a following at the silver screen level. A 1952 Hollywood collaborated film 'Kaadu (Jungle)' is the first Tamil sci-fi movie. Many alien visitation film ventures have failed, including Satyajit Ray's effort. 40 years before 'Koi Mil Gaya' burnt the silver screen hailed as the first successful Indian science-fiction flick, Kollywood did indeed release an epic saga of alien visitation, flying saucers and alien abduction. Keeping with the interest of viewers of that era, the elements of romance, songs, dances and swashbuckling scenes were kept very much alive. This movie almost did not make it to theatres. The project was apparently started in the last 1950s as evidenced by choice of leading actors. MGR and Bhanumath...