Delhi Highway - A Satisfying Expressway to a starving stomach!

They say "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach". Delhi Highway has taken this particular words of wisdom very seriously in terms of their quality of food, choice of food, excellent service or elegant decor.  

On a hot and sunny day, I was traversing through the busy Nungambakkam roads @ speeds matching that of a snail! It was then I could hear a bunch of butterflies fluttering fastly at breakneck pace in my tummy. Nungambakkam is known for its slew of restaurants especially the KNK road. Taking some turns along the many twists of the road, I finally reached the Wallace Garden Road. Out of nowhere, I came across the sign "Lunch @ 499". There was no second, third or fourth thought. I simply went into the place for the first time without having any expectation by merely looking at the price. 

Two menu cards were given to me after I had seated comfortably and ordered for regular water. As soon as I saw the first menu card, I decided that it would be a criminal waste of time to look at the second a la carte. The reason was simple enough. The "Lunch @ 499" was made available in the Table d'hote that was given first!

SO, my delicious lunch started with an appetising tomato shorba that was very stimulating followed by an out-of-the-world sev puri. As of this day, I have never tasted such a mouth-watering Sev Puri in Chennai! My Goodness!! I can still feel the taste dancing on my tongue! Tearing apart myself from the tantalizing Sev Puri, I was then greeted with 3 entrees. One was Paneer and I forgot the names of the other two. The waitperson was very eager to serve more entrees as he knew I liked them very much. But, as I was starving, wanting and waiting to sink all my teeth into the main course, I forcefully restrained myself by not indulging in more of the appetizers. 

The main course included a fantastic Veg Biriyani, 2 Naan and 2 Rotis to go along with the 4 side dishes and Kheer. Palak Paneer was simply the best of the sides along with the Kheer. The waitperson saw that I was relishing to the core and promptly wanted to refill my bread basket. However, all my butterflies were completely satisfied and flew away with a small butterfly just about waiting for the dessert. 

Yes.It was dessert time. Chocolate or Strawberry? was the choice offered to me and a scoopful of chocolate was placed before me in a matter of minutes. The bill read Rs. 500 inclusive of this tax, that tax and the other tax. 

If the price was the killer deal for such a sumptuous meal, then it's not over yet. Delhi Highway has different menu for every day from Monday to Friday. Now, I know where to head for to have a relatively inexpensive yet high quality Mittagessen. 

The Angry Birds - Colorful Rampage of the Plumages!

Whenever a highly successful game or a novel is loved by a vast majority of the people, you can be rest assured that Hollywood will be very close at the heels of the creators to procure and secure the rights of the best-seller. So, when the swash buckling game "The Angry Birds" was well-received by the public in 2009, it was as clear as daylight that the popular game would be made into a film in a matter of time. Yes. It happened after 7 long years!

By the fag end of the movie, I was actually surprised that "The Angry Birds" had a tolerable storyline when it could have been a raging disaster! Our hero, Red is forced by the head to attend the Anger Management course to temper his temper so that he is not a bad influence to his fellow people, sorry birds! Yeah. I know it's a terrible yet laughter invoking joke. But, we have a lot of such jokes spread throughout the film in clusters like Red says "I am not blushing. I am simply red" or the famed Mighty Eagle tells the group "I see all and know all. What are your  names?". Keeping aside the exasperating yet hilarious puns, The Angry Birds strikes unadulterated gold in its rich visuals. Be it the birds territory or the pigs kingdom, it was indeed a pleasing treat for the eyes in this slingshot of avian revenge against the oinkers for stealing their beloved eggs. 

This was probably the maximum best one could expect from a game app that was an instant roaring rage especially amongst the kids. The Angry Birds could have been a monstrous cash cow, no cash bird! had it been released immediately post the game's launch. In the end, just as the flightless birds flew to the Piggy island by flinging themselves from the catapult, time was also hurling past me quickly with lots of punny funs and lavish scenes.

Idhu Namma Aalu - A Non glamorous and Joyful Simbu-Nayan Matrimonial Bond in Reel Life

As the old adage goes "Marriages are made in heaven". But, that was not to be the case with the ever charming STR's and Kollywood's ravishing queen Nayanthara's love life. When things were going really well between them in their real life, it was only a matter of time when the high profile stars got engaged themselves in the timeless relationship called marriage. However, destiny had other ideas and the duo had to split thus burning up their wedding pictures without even a picture taken! Stop it. We know all about the famous Simbu-Nayan controversy. What's it got to do with the review? Yeah. I can hear this murderous rambling which is rumbling loud and clear in your minds. Breathe. Relax. And continue to enjoy the three weddings that take place in INA.

It seemed like Pandiraj impractically desired Simbu-Nayan's wedlock to happen in reality than the pair themselves despite their relationship was beyond repair and hope. He has single-handedly ensured that they married not once but thrice in a very humorous and breezy manner. I think they were married 3 times to compensate to what happened to them in actuality!

Simbu's previous encounter with 'Vaalu' was more like a Ajith Dubsmash. However, the good news for STR is that INA gives his fans, and of course other audience, plenty of things to cheer about - be it his coolly casual dialogue delivery, deft and nimble dance movements, decent acting and ginormous screen presence with his suave looks and style quotient. He is known for all these things from his previous films but his selection of films has always been a major thorn in his foot which is not to be the case this time around with INA. It is not that INA is a picture perfect movie. The movie lags and drags big time in the second half courtesy to an elaborate and lengthy intimate exchange between the film's lead couple. Fortunately, the movie strongly rides on Pandiraj's smart way of story telling, Simbu's sophisticated appeal, Nayanthara's flawless acting and Soori's impeccably timed one-liners. In fact, Soori is one of the central component of the film rather than being just a mere sidekick to the hero. Santhanam takes up the sidekick role! INA would have bitten the dust hadn't it been for Soori's funny facial expressions, exquisite sneering and sardonic punches revolving around the true life of STR.

STR really deserves a pat on his back for making a literal mockery out of his own personal life in INA. It showed his level of maturity to see and handle his affairs in a light-hearted way. Andreah is so chubby chubby and vivacious that at one point of time you think that Andreah and Simbu is a fantastic pair. Her role in the movie could have been more important had Pandiraj concentrated on developing her character further and the story gaining enough traction for a good climax instead of the tedious and soporific telephone conversations in the second half. MY GOD! It is shown that time flies between Simbu-Nayan when they are engaged in their cellular conversations but the fact is that time was refusing to move in reality. It seemed like ages for their tete-a-tete to be finished. Albert Einstein was on the money when he said "When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But, let him sit on the hot stove for a minute, it's longer than an hour. That's relativity". Many people in the audience felt like they were sitting on the stove during their heart to heart telephonic chats!

Pandiraj has shown great cleverness in his screenplay especially in the first half with his taut narration. Be it the intro scene where he captures the essence of a typical IT person's lifestyle or displaying quirky download images for flashbacks or using Jai as David (Jai was Nayan's lover in Raja Rani!) to reprise as Nayan's lover here as well, Pandiraj has handled with minimum fuss and gets tremendous applause and whistles for his knack of telling a simple love story so sweetly and humorously. Unfortunately, things go topsy-turvy when the second half begins. INA could have been thousand times better if Pandiraj had dedicated his efforts in shaping up solid post interval scenes to ante up the all good work that had gone before the inevitable slide.

Is INA not even worth watching once? Thanks to Soori's outstanding repartees and railleries, you can actually watch it twice but don't forget to fast forward all the songs and the prolonged chats!

Captain America:Civil War - A Whipsmart Encounter between the Suit and the Shield

At the half-way mark, there was only one question that was buzzing like a bee in my head "How is this conflict going to end"? My mind was racing into the future at QuickSilver's slowness and was lightning-quick open to various possibilities:

a) Bucky is innocent and framed. CapAm and Iron Man join hands to save him

b) Bucky is the culprit. CapAm reconciles with Iron Man to apprehend him

c) Bucky is the culprit. CapAm goes after him. Iron Man and others cross swords with the Mastermind

d) Bucky is innocent and framed. CapAm, Iron Man , Bucky and others fight the Mastermind

I am not going to spoil the fun by revealing which amongst these possibilities was true. Yes. There is one! In fact, the writers went one step ahead by embedding an interesting out-of-nowhere twist in one of these options. 

They say expectations hurt. When X-Men spectacularly missed the mark by a big margin, I did not have much expectation going into CapAm even though the trailers boasted of The Avengers team pitting against each other with the new Spider Man joining the ranks of Team Iron Man. The trailer was fantastic but so was X-Men's and we knew how it turned out. So, was CapAm also just another Marvel's Ok-Ok superhero movie?  Read On to find out.

The third installment of CapAm begins after the Sokovia's events when a building is destroyed and several people were killed in Lagos by The Avengers. This act was the final straw and the UN decided that enough was enough by passing the Sokovian Accords that will ensure that The Avengers were no longer a private outfit but a a team subjected to their rules and regulations. The usually selfish and arrogant Tony Stark was the first to support such a move as he was already burdened with his guilt due to the destruction of Sokovia. His guilt magnified itself to a great extent when one of the HR managers in MIT blamed him for her son's death. However, CapAm had other ideas. He was strongly opposing the idea that they were to be under the control of another organization who wants their freedom to be curbed. Dissension ensues and The Avengers are split due to their differences of opinion over the contentious Sokovian Accords. Things go downhill further in the relationship between Tony Stark and CapAm when Steve Rogers protects his child hood friend, Bucky from the clutches of Iron Man and The Black Panther when Bucky is accused for bombing at Vienna. Is the morally right CapAm wrong about Bucky this time when he defends him by saying that his old friend is not capable of doing such a thing? Was Tony Stark right in signing the Sokovian Accords? Whether the broken The Avengers bind together again? The answers to all these questions are presented in a swashbuckling manner by the Director.

Just like how the The Avengers was a revelation and boasted of gorgeous rib-tickling one-liners, CapAm:Civil War has also got plenty of amazing wisecracks and rejoinders that surely brought the house down! When Ant-Man enters into the Iron Man Suit and damages it, he says "It's your conscience. We don't speak a lot these days" when Tony Stark asks him "Who's this?". Similarly, when Tony Stark goes to meet Peter Parker at his residence and asks him whether he can go to Germany, Peter Parker replies "I got..homework". Here's where Robert Downey Jnr's phenomenal sarcastic barbs come to play. He immediately quips "Alright. I'm gonna pretend you did not say that". The entire movie is seriously and hilariously packed with such gems especially the face-off between Team Iron Man and Team Captain America at the airport. You can just watch the fight sequence "n" number of times yet still have the feel that you are watching it for the first time. Also, when Bucky pushes and takes the bike from a biker during the chase is another whistle-blowing scene.

Though most of The Avengers are back here, it is still a Captain America film as he furiously and ferociously defends his wrongly accused friend, breaks his friends out of  the Raft prison and indulges in a fantastic combat with Tony Stark. Captain America: Civil War is slick, smart, fun and funny with exceptional performances by new entrants - Spider Man and Black Panther. The latest Spidy is thoroughly wacky and is completely bitten not just by the genetically modified spider but also by the stardoms of the other Marvel characters. The Black Panther a.k.a Challa, who has a regal lineage, is set out to take revenge on Bucky for killing his father but later realizes his folly when vengeance had completely consumed him. His nonchalant and menacing "I don't care" response to Hawkeye who formally introduces himself during the airport action segment was a cracker! But, it was Tom Holland's Spiderling...Spider Man who will really steal your hearts with his innocent and child-like effervescence.

At the end of the movie, I just had one another small question in my mind "Should Singer take a leaf out of the Russos' book to handle a superhero movie when it is deluged with superheroes and their powers by giving depth and equal importance to the characters?". I leave it to Singer as a food for thought.

This review cannot be deemed as finished if I don't talk about the 2 notable scenes which also happens to be my personal favorite as well

PS 1:

When things get really hot at the airport, Ant Man becomes GiANT Man on the press of a switch. A startled Tony Stark asks his team "Okay. Anybody on our side who is hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they would like to disclose? I am open to suggestion". The entire audience were laughing like mad hell at this point of time.  

PS 2:

Captain America is in conversation with Sharon Carter who gives the Cap his shield and they kiss each other. The instantaneous reaction which Falcon and Bucky give when they see the Cap kissing is something that is just etched in your mind and can play it back at will to humor yourself. Such is their fantabulous expressions that it is really worth to see the movie a third time just for their inimitable and unparalleled reactions! 

Theri - A Sparking BABY's Day Out!

'Puli' was a disastrously forgettable nightmare not only for Vijay but also for all of us. Does 'Theri' also join that elite rank? 

'Raja Rani' was a movie to remember and reckon with - be it the comedy, sentiments, romance, songs or dialogues especially the dialogues. I was crying like anything when I finished watching it. Atlee showed his class in his debut flick and he nearly pulls the rabbit out of the hat yet again in 'Theri'. The only stumbling block which Atlee faces is the choice of hero for the film - Vijay.  It is extremely sacrilegious to his millions of fan followers who revere and cherish Vijay's films for his larger-than-life 'Mass' image - Hyper-energetic songs, breath-taking dance steps, fiery, loud and noisy punch dialogues that is sure to reach Pluto!, hilarious comedy scenes and superstormic action sequences. In short, it is extremely difficult to make a movie like 'Raja Rani' with so many conditions to satisfy and Vijay as the lead actor. However, Atlee shows his intelligence in the screenplay by wiggling through, struggling and finding a common middle ground by incorporating all the mandatory necessities for a Vijay film without forgoing on his own style of delivery.

For example, take the first scene where a rash car driver splashes muddy water on Nivi and Vijay chases him down on his rickety bullet. In any typical Vijay's movie, you will expect the hero to physically or at least verbally thrash the person who was responsible for making his loving daughter cry. In this instance, you don't see either of the above scenarios but a very subdued Vijay requesting the person to apologize to Nivi for his irresponsible actions. Though it was different from a normal Vijay flick, it was a complete no-brainer that there was a serious flashback closely on the horizon. Why do you think that? It's uncomplicatedly simple. YOU ARE IN A VIJAY FILM. The imperatives have to be ticked to click with his ardent fans. That's where Atlee falls down on a slippery slope. He would have injured himself gravely if he hadn't insured himself properly not just financially but also investing his time and effort in creating a story that matches the aura of Vijay's indelible and indestructible image which has been meticulously imprinted in the minds of his large receptive audience for years together.

As Joseph Kuruvilla, Vijay is really amazing as a caring dad for the charming Nivi. As DCP Vijay Kumar, he is both  murderous and comic in the handling of the thugs, hoodlums and scoundrels. Unfortunately, several of his dialogue delivery, hysterical laughter and mannerisms is very much reminiscent of the blockbusters 'Kathi' and 'Thuppaki'. Since it is self-evident that he is just an average actor with a remarkable and a sensational screen presence much like Rajnikanth though their style quotients are entirely different, you tend to overlook the cut and dried certainty that he is simply a one-dimensional actor. Despite all his limitations, Vijay has once again given a thoroughly entertaining performance especially the bridge scene where he speaks with Rajendran. 

As usual, Samantha is scorching not just in her looks and attires but with her acting as well. It was indeed a poignant moment in the movie when a dying Mithra asks the DCP what sort of a wife was she to him. Amy Jackson strolls in and out of the screens by lip-syncing Malayalam against a beautiful backdrop. As Vijay's mom, Raadhika is bubbly bubbly with energy and sparkles with her warm and pleasant personality in the elaborately restricted screen space allotted to her. But, the real heroine is Nivi. OMG! Her cuteness. Her appealing and delightful way in the conversations. Her innocent expressions though sometimes you get the funny feeling that she was speaking too much for a kid! However, Nivi's endearing personality is such that you fall in love with this little charmer. She is truly the darling of 'Theri'. Hats off to Atlee for his keen eye to finding such a talent. She really elevated the film to another level sans Vijay's routine acting, Atlee's excellent penmanship and GV Prakash's electrifying BGM. As we are on the topic of BGM, GV Prakash's music humongously falls flat. The songs fail to make a mark and it was like they were merely present to satiate the hunger of Vijay fans.

Overall, Theri is just another predictable revenge potboiler though Atlee has wielded it in such a manner to give it a different color and hue. I am neither an Ajith or a Vijay fan. So, if a direct, non pussy-footing question as to whether I liked Theri is posed to me in a rather casual fashion. It's a resounding YES.

X-Men:Apocalypse - An Okayish Cataclysmic Entertainer

 From being slim and fit, the X-Men series is fast turning into bloated and portly with their numerous prequels, sequels and spin-offs. The sequel (still technically a prequel to the original X-Men trilogy) to the smashing 'X-Men: Days of the Future Past' begins in Egypt where En Sabah Nur is buried in a pyramid along with his followers. In the present day, Professor X's lady love and CIA agent, Moira is tracking down a secret cult who is actually trying to revive En Sabah Nur from his deep sleep. They are successful in achieving the objective but with global ramifications. A powerful earthquake ensues and Apocalypse is woke up after many a century. He displays his vicious powers while recruiting Storm before she earned her moniker. You have the feeling on seeing the doomy powers in the mighty, daunting, formidable and invincible Apocalypse that this movie is going to be head and shoulders above the rest of the X-Men films that have been released so far in the franchise even beating the likes of 'X-Men:First Class and Days of the Future Past'. Is it going to be the case with this new flick? 

Singer has certainly and very assuredly sung a wonderful song in the first half which is really tightly packed with character introduction and induction of some characters into Apocalypse's fold. We actually get to see Cyclop's and a bit of Nightcrawler's early lives which were missed out in the earlier films.  Likewise, just when Erik thinks that he has put his days of manipulating metal behind his back, tragedy strikes when the Polish police officials accidentally kill his daughter and wife thus enraging him to get back to his old days and making him to join as one of the Apocalypse's horsemen. Psylocke and her backdrop completes the quartet of his horsemen and it was only a matter of time when they would be unleashing their full fury upon their master's commands.

In between these small stories, it was indeed an awe-inspiring sight when Apocalypse transforms Angel's burnt white wings into the shiny metallic ArchAngel whose wings can fire the feathers as missiles at his enemies. Similarly, it was a treat to watch when Apocalypse lets know Magneto that he can shake the very foundation of the Earth with his abilities and Magneto experiments using his powers. All such scenes make you to believe that X-Men: Apocalypse is going to be one hell of a ride in the second half. Did it deliver the goods post the intermission? 

Even disaster would feel that he is way better and can do a wonderful job than the second half of the film! It was so unapologetically monotonous, the likes of which we have seen umpteen number of times,that it felt like Apocalypse wasn't the villain but the screenplay was. A terrible and a weak script. JLo's supposedly inspiring but completely uninspired performance as Mystique. Psylocke resembled more like Wonder Woman in the climax fight.As ever, the usual ruins left behind due to the wreaked havoc by the mutants. Speaking of mutants, it felt like Singer didn't have a clue how to handle the extraordinary number of new characters and their superpowers in the film. It was like a beggar who goes to a buffet and sees a smorgasbord of delicious food that are kept in front of him that but he doesn't know how to handle them. So, what does the beggar do? He will either gobble up a single item or take a little bit of everything and be falsely satisfied that he had a good lunch. Singer belongs to the latter category. 

X-Men:Apocalypse had the potential to be something bigger,grander and more potent with its racier first half. Had Singer got it right with the second half, it was a perfect recipe for Apocalypse to be truly spectacular. It was not that the second half was dreadful but the big problem is that we have seen it many times in the X- Men franchise itself leaving aside the countless super hero movies that have come and gone. To put it in a nutshell, it was like the foreplay was good. The actual act of making love was barely scratching the surface.

PS:

I did not forget it. I just wanted this scene to have a special place in this review. Much like 'Days of Future Past', we witness an improved, longer and a slick slo-mo sequence involving Quick Silver where time appears to move very slow like a tortoise from his perspective. It was indeed a close-to-3 minute hilarious visual spectacle to see Peter saving the kids from the exploding school that you can watch Apocalypse one more time just for Quick Silver's antics in the entire movie!

24 - Every TIME it's DIFFERENT!

Time travel has always fascinated man for centuries and extensive movies have been made in several languages depicting the complex and confusing concept of travelling back and forth through time. Even the Tamil audience are not new to the concept of Time Travel as clearly explained and shown in the successful comedy Sci-fi 'Indru,Netru, Naalai'. But, what happens when the time machine is desired to be in possession by a depraved, unconscionable and an utterly diabolical person? It's not only hell that will break loose but also heaven as well!

After a string of fine performances yet badly misfiring films like Maatran, Anjaan or Mass engira Maasilamani, 24 is Surya's redeemer to what he had lost in his previous 3 outings - A Good Script! . He simply sparkles and sizzles through all the roles with elan and panache especially the spine-chilling Athreya.

The director wastes no time in coming to the story straight away without any deviations or circumlocutions in his screenplay. Dr. Sethu is experimenting on a device in his lab with which one can tinker and navigate through time. He also accomplishes the Project 24 - where you can mess up with time up to 24 hours. Like every doting and caring wife, Nithya Menen warns her husband to discontinue the project as it might harm them and their child, Mani. Unfortunately, it is more than harm. They end up losing their lives in the process because of the terrifying and monstrous Athreya - Sethu's twin brother. Did Mani escape? Does he get to know his father's groundbreaking invention? Despite his cripple, will Athreya find out the existence of Mani's presence? What happens after that? Thes rest of the complicated story is loaded with enough twists and turns that will definitely keep the audience involved and engaged till the end credits.

Surya has gone beyond the call of duty in his portrayal of Athreya. We saw glimpses of his negative shade in "Perazhagan" where he simply kills with his eyes! However, in 24, Surya explores the full depth and dimension of the negative persona as Athreya in a thoroughly mind-boggling manner. Just head to the nearest theatre to immerse yourself in the Athreya experience. Such is the remarkable performance of Surya!

Saranya Ponvannan does more than enough justice to her role as a mother who did not marry for Mani's sake and who hadn't seen her own kith and kin for 26 years just to keep her promise intact to Dr. Sethu. She still manages to bring a tear or two in the eyes whenever she plays the mom's role! Samantha is as ever drop dead gorgeous but she could have been utilized further especially with a notable talking point of the film that her family doesn't speak on Fridays upto 6pm. In such an interesting narrative, this great piece of idea is worth a gold mine yet it is literally wasted. It could have been taken advantage and brought to full effective action for a much bigger twist in the movie instead of the speed breaking songs. Though the BGM is completely in sync with the mood of the movie especially the scenes involving Athreya, AR Rahman's music is a big let down when compared to his other masterpieces. 24 would have been racier sans the songs though the exotic locales were a treat to watch!

The director really showed his mettle and prowess in handling such a complex subject without making anyone to scratch their heads. He really deserves a pat on the back! What about us? I can hear the camera man and the VFX team bellowing vociferously and unanimously. Cool guys. The last is always reserved for the best. Right from the first scene where Dr. Sethu's mansion is showed till the last scene, the visuals were lavish, stunning and mesmerizing. 24's goes up one level above simply because of the cinematographer's breathtaking work behind the camera.

Sometimes, the beautiful cinematography would be let down by terrible and substandard VFX. It was not to be the case with 24. The VFX team have worked tirelessly and seamlessly to bring the director's dream ideation onto the big screen in a very elegant and captivating manner.

So, only positives and no negatives? Oh yes.There is. The romantic scenes between Surya and Samantha is a bit overdone. The first time funny dialogue "Nan oru watch mechanic. Enaku Idhellam Sahajam" (I am watch mechanic. This is a piece of cake for me!) really gets under your skin and drives you crazy beyond a certain point when it is laboriously repeated to boredom by Mani. However, the positives are so much in 24 that these trivialities can be ignored when considering the larger picture.

24 is the rare breed of Sci-fi Tamil movie which is like a bolt out of the blue in Kollywood. The marvel of the film's wondrous nature can be magnificently seen on the big screen instead of  "India tholai katchigalil mudhal muraiyaga" (For the first time on Indian TV!).

Signing off with easily the best and beast of a scene in the movie that happens to be my personal favorite too  - Surya finds out that he can go back in time when he activates the device. He plays with the keys and discovers that in addition to hiking a journey back in time,  he can also freeze time. It was indeed a splendiferous and a moment to behold in 24 when Surya experiments with freezing the time option and creates a temporary willing suspension  of disbelief by playfully indulging luxuriantly with the suspended rain drops. It is a scene worth repeated watching many times instead of the soul-destroying one-liner!