TPP: Divya & Surya

Old pics from the audio release of Varanam Aayiram.

I think Divya and Surya look hot together. If he weren't already taken, I wouldn't mind seeing him with Divya in real life. (Don't kill me, Jo. I got nothin' but love for you and Sur.)

Surya is very handsome. I wish I were more into him. Maybe the recently ordered Nanda will be the tipping point. If not, I can still rewatch it for Laila. **shrug** (ETA 01/27/10: He's good-looking, yes, but I'll never be a fan. He just doesn't get my motor running the way Ajith and Mahesh and the late 70s/early 80s version of Kamal Hassan do. However, his presence in a film wouldn't discourage me from watching it. I quite liked him in Ghajini and Unnai Ninaithu(even if his character was a pushover).)

Ayan(2009)

Muy brief, random musings based on what I've seen so far:

In spite of the modern day setting, it feels like a throwback to the eighties.

The small screen(i.e. my television set) doesn't do Surya justice. He looks much better on the large screen. And his abs? A joy to behold. I could look at them all day. I wish six packs were more common in Tamil films.

The first thing that came to mind when I saw Tammana in Kedi was "DSL". She has a nice mouth. It's her best feature, I think. Facially, she looks like she could be a distant relative of the Kapoors--Karishma, in particular. She and Surya make a good onscreen pair.

From what I can tell, it's worth a DVD purchase. I would classify it as "a nice popcorn flick". Not great, but entertaining enough for me to rewatch a few times.

Unnai Ninaithu(2002)

I came across this title while randomly browsing Nehaflix. When I saw that Sneha(or "Snega", as she's listed on the site) was in the cast, my interest was piqued, and I immediately Googled for more information about the film. I found a link to watch it online, but the site refused to cooperate, so I read a couple of reviews to try to get an idea of whether or not I wanted to buy it.

From The Hindu: "...Here is a young employee of a lodge, who goes out of his way to help his impoverished neighbour and his family — and all he gets in return is humiliation. What is worse, he takes it all lying down. The climax is on expected lines and the treatment lacks punch...If tedium sets in, in the climax the dialogue is the culprit. The similes, metaphors and aphorisms that go on endlessly test your patience..."

From Now Running: "The actual story occupies only 60 percent of the length of the film Rest of the time is eaten up by the so-called comedy of the inmates of the Lodge--Sundarrajan, Charlie & Co. If this was not enough, these are the songs!...If you examine the film in isolation without the comedy(huh?) & songs then Vikraman's story screenplay has only some minor flaws...But, the irksome comedy & its background score and the mind-boggling achievements within the course of a song--how long is Vikraman going to cling on to this formula?"

It doesn't sound too promising :( I'm getting a headache just thinking about the "so-called comedy". On one hand, I want to get it just for Sneha since I like her, and I want to see more of her movies, but on the other hand, I don't want to spend most of my time pressing the fast-forward button. **sigh** I might have to leave this in the "Better Off Not Buying" pile. I really wish I could've checked it out first, because I would hate for my curiosity to get the best of me and end up with something that just sits on my bookshelf, collecting dust. (Speaking of which, I guess I should try to watch Deepavali all the way through at least once. Got it for Bhavana and what little I saw before falling asleep bored me. Live and learn, I guess.)

03/13/09: My curiosity finally got the best of me and I ordered it. The verdict? I would say that the "so-called comedy" eats up SIXTY percent of the movie. I think I spent more time with my finger on the fast-forward button than I did actually watching the film. I wish there were some way to edit DVDs so that I could remove the scenes that annoy me, or slow down the pace of the flick.

Shallowness: Surya looked cute, but I think he's much better-looking without the thick 'tache and pouffed-up hairdo. Laila was lovely, but her character was passive and irritating as fuck. The only time she showed some spunk was when she took Surya to task for beating up her sleazy, would-be fiance. Sneha was gorgeous, as usual. I've said it before and I'll say it again: She was made for saris. Sneha in a sari is way sexier and more alluring than any chick wearing next to nothing.

I would describe this as "an otherwise okay movie marred by unnecessary comedy". I liked the scenes with Sneha and Surya best, mainly because Sneha actually showed signs of life as opposed to Laila, who did little more than sleepwalk her way through the film. Having said that, I would like to check out more of her movies, but only if she's not doing the meek and demure thing. She strikes me as being more of a bubbly Jyothika type.

Aaru(2005)

I have the dubbed Telugu version that I watched about two years ago. Aside from the picturisation of the "Thottutae Thottutae" song, I remember very little.

For whatever reason(s), I've been thinking about this movie for the past couple of days. Based on my faulty memory, I have a feeling that it's kind of similar to Bheema. I intend to re-watch it tonight--if I can find it, that is. I can't remember if it's still on my bookshelf or if I put it in my closet.

ETA: It was in my closet. I watched about a half-hour before replacing it with Athidhi. The poor picture quality and obvious dubbing made me seriously considering spending $20+ on the Tamil version. Trisha looked like a dream in that white tennis dress. Surya looks best when he's playing a rowdy. Vadivelu's spoof of the "Kumari" song from Anniyan was funny. I will have it give it another look once I decide whether or not I really want to buy the Ayngaran DVD.

Kaaka Kaaka(2003)

Impulse buy. Got it yesterday. I'm not really a Surya fan, although I do think he's attractive, and he and Jyothika make a good pair, both on and off camera.

It was remade in Telugu as Gharshana.

More thoughts later.

ETA: The picturisation of the first song is weird, but I kinda like it. Jyothika has amazing eyes. Lavendar is a good color on her.

The font for the subtitles is different.

I remember these opening scenes in Gharshana. Who looks better in the uniform, Surya or Venkatesh? I'm leaning towards Venky, because I thought he looked more authoritative. Of course, he's older than Surya, so maybe that has something to do with it.

For the role of Maya, I like Jyothika better. Asin looked too much like a college girl, whereas Jyothika, depending on how she's made up and styled, can look either youthful or mature.

ETA 2: I liked it better--well, most of it, still haven't watched it in its entirety--on the second viewing. Yes, this will be one of those movies that takes a while to grow on me. I find the songs unnecessary. Maybe the first one works, but only because I like the picturisation. The rest, however, could've been removed, because they interrupt the flow of the film, IMO.

ETA 3: I think I like Gharshana better. I'm not sure why. I'll have to watch it a couple more times and try to type a post about it.