It's very upsetting to see that talented young directors who are making path breaking films in Tamil don't have access to ARR and these mediocre rich kid directors/producers (U16 E18, now Sakkarakatti) etc and can get ARR to score for their films.
I strongly suspect Sultan is going to join this list. On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 7:49 AM, Vithur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://www.rediff.com/movies/2008/sep/26sss1.htm > > These days 'Youth' movies are in. Directors pride themselves on being able > to capture the pulse of the urban, savvy, hip audience with stylish songs, > perfect dialogues, a cast-iron plot and a quirky cast. > > Certainly, Kalaippuli Dhanu's Tamil film *Sakkarakatti *(Lump of Sugar), > directed by his son Kalaprabhu aims to hit the nail on the head with its > target audience -- but the director has failed to win the jackpot by a mile. > > > It really doesn't look that bad when you see the opening shots: an > up-market, beautifully designed house (courtesy art director Jacki) and > you're introduced to the cast of characters: the hero's father (*Nizhalgal > * Ravi), mother, sisters and brothers (all played by insignificant > characters as they obviously make no impact) and then, finally, the hero > himself, Yuvraj (Shantanoo Bhagyaraj) -- a precocious ten-year old who ogles > at girls whenever he can. So far, so good. > > There's even a song *Elay*, which conveniently shows his transition to > adulthood. He and his friends all speak swanky English, drive expensive > bikes, wear designer clothes and cool haircuts. Forget the fact that none of > these characters resemble the average collegian at any point. Yuvraj also, > for some reason, despite having lived in Chennai all his life, has a weird > American accent that gets on your nerves. > > Cut to his first meeting with his would-be-girlfriend, Deepali (Ishita > Sharma), who wears even more skimpy clothes, tosses her styled hair often > and speaks Tamil like a five-year old. Yuvraj falls for her instantly, and > on his first day of college, guess whom he should meet? Yes, it is Deepali. > Surprise, surprise. > > In no time at all, and without even the proper groundwork of getting to > know one another, the two fall in love. > > But what's a simple love story without the done-to-death triangle? Enter > the default Reema (Vedhika), looking beautiful and glamorous: Yuvraj's > cousin. She too, with no rhyme or reason, falls for our hero. And when, at > an appropriate moment, she expresses her love, she's given a flat denial. To > give him credit, Yuvraj does seem apologetic. But good manners don't impress > Reema, who's furious and frustrated. In the meantime, Yuvraj continues > romancing Deepali. > > Which is the cue to introduce another of A R Rahman's peppy numbers and the > SFX team (Ocher Studios) has gone all out in producing cowboy sets, fantasy > flying, strange and wonderful lands where the hero and heroine cavort in joy > or sigh in depression. Obviously, the makers decided that every Rahman > number must be given its due! > > And then it is back to the lacklustre storyline, where Yuvraj is > continuously egged on by his friends, is pursued by Reema, and chases > Deepali. Circumstances show Yuvraj and Reema in a compromising situation, > and Deepali promptly catches the two together. But just when you think the > story's going to heat up, it flat-lines again. > > Shantanoo (who doesn't take after his father) plays safe in this movie: > it's been tailor-made for a young hero who has little to do except romance > his heroines and generally look good. Shantanoo does this well sometimes and > not-so-well at others. There are no fight scenes (thankfully) so he doesn't > have to prove himself there. With practice, though, he looks like he'll > improve. (Why Bhagyaraj, who's a master of screenplay, lets his son choose > such a pointless script though, is a mystery.). > > Ishita's a mess; she can't act to save her skin and when she speaks her > emotional dialogue, the theatre boos loudly in protest (of course, that > might also be a reaction to the terrible dialogues itself). > > Vedhika, whose earlier work includes *Muni* and *Kaalai* has acquitted > herself well. At least her dialogue-delivery and expressions are marginally > better. She's wasted though. > > Shantanoo's friends, except one or two, don't gel at all. As for * > Nizhalgal* Ravi and the rest, they mysteriously disappear after the first > reel and are never seen again. > > Kalaprabhu really needs to observe the world around him if he needs to come > up with a plausible screenplay, dialogues and performances. Picturising A R > Rahman's songs in SFX, throwing in American catch-phrases and making his > characters swagger in designer wear won't make a good, peppy film. If he'd > capitalised on one or two of the good points in the screenplay, the film > would've actually worked. > > Judging by the catcalls at the silly climax, the theatre is left with an > audience that obviously expected a lot from the dazzling promos and songs, > but is frustrated and disappointed. Their only consolation is that it's a > pretty short movie. > > *Sakkarakatti* doesn't melt in your mouth, like its tagline says (Cho > Chweet!) -- in fact, it's a tasteless lump of nothing. > > > -- > regards, > Vithur > > ARR in my Heart; > His Music in my Blood; > >
