DNA Movie Review: Strong writing meets solid performances in this tense emotional thriller

 

DNA Movie Synopsis:

A young woman with borderline personality disorder claims that her newborn baby has been swapped for another minutes after her delivery. With not many believing her, can her loving husband, a former drug addict, investigate and track down the baby before it's too late?

DNA Movie Review: When we first see Divya (Nimisha Sajayan) and Anand (Atharvaa), the protagonists of Nelson Venkatesan's DNA (the title is a clever play on their initials and on the issue the film deals with), they come across as flawed individuals who even their own families see as a burden. Divya has borderline multiple disorder, which has made it difficult to get her married, much to the frustration of her mother (Viji Chandrasekhar). Anand, on the other hand, has become a drug addict following a failed romance, and is an embarrassment to his family of highly educated individuals, particularly his father Siva Subramaniam (Chethan).

By a quirk of fate, they end up getting married, but their relationship turns things around for them. And when Divya gets pregnant, they are understandably overjoyed. But minutes after her delivery, Divya says her actual newborn has been switched with another baby - a claim that seems far-fetched given that all evidence seems to be stacked against what she's saying. But Anand decides to investigate, and finds out she isn't imagining things. What happened to their baby, and can he track it down before it's too late?

With DNA, Nelson Venkatesan delivers a tightly knit suspense thriller about two flawed individuals discovering themselves through their marriage, and later, through the search for their missing newborn. The filmmaker takes us through the dark underbelly of the child abduction scene in the city, and keeps up the suspense — whether Divya and Anand would be able to track down their child before it's too late — right till the climax.

It helps that the actors deliver solid performances that capture the depth of the writing of their characters. We first see Anand as just another young man who hasn't been able to reconcile with a love failure, but when we eventually get to know the real reason, we can't help but be empathetic, and Atharvaa convinces us both when he breaks down and later when he has to turn into an action hero. Nimisha does a tightrope walk playing a character whose mental health isn't perfect without making her into a typical Tamil cinema 'loosu ponnu'. Then we have Balaji Sakthivel's Chinnaswamy, a cop who's just three weeks away from retirement, helping Anand. While he initially seems unwilling, he later sticks on with Anand till the end and Nelson shows it with a single shot without explaining it through dialogues. Even one of the antagonists — an.old woman — is given a solid reason explaining why she doesn't view what she does as crime.

The director is also ably helped by his technicians - Parthiban's cinematography adds mood, and the lighting in a stunt in an under-construction building, in particular, is a highlight. Then there's Ghibran Vaibodha, whose superb background score works in tandem with Sabu Joseph's sharp cuts to amp up the tension; the duo delivers stellar work in the climax.

That said, the film would have benefitted better in terms of songs. Nelson's decision to go with five young composers might be experimental, but the absence of his regular composer Justin Prabhakaran is clearly felt here. In fact, the film could have done away with two bar songs, which sound so generic. Some of the supporting characters, like Ramesh Thilak, who plays Anand's lawyer friend, and Anand's father, kind of disappear after seeming prominent in the initial portions. And given the number of violent individuals Anand faces in his search, it would have added to the plausibility when we see him take on dozens of them multiple times.

But he makes up for these minor missteps in the climax where he dials up the tension to deliver one of the most edge-of-the-seat suspenseful and emotionally super-charged endings that we have seen in recent times. The way in which he weaves in the film's philosophy - Thappu senja yaarume thappikaradhilla.. Thandanaikaana kaalam thalli pogudhu - in the end is truly whistle-worthy.

In these times when many a promising filmmaker seems to be looking at their initial successes as only the next step towards landing the next bigger star's project, it's really heartening to see a filmmaker continuing to put his script first and quietly work towards building a formidable filmography.

"This Content Sponsored by SBO Digital Marketing.

Mobile-Based Part-Time Job Opportunity by SBO!

Earn money online by doing simple content publishing and sharing tasks. Here's how:

Job Type: Mobile-based part-time work

Work Involves:

Content publishing

Content sharing on social media

Time Required: As little as 1 hour a day

Earnings: ₹300 or more daily

Requirements:

Active Facebook and Instagram account

Basic knowledge of using mobile and social media

For more details:

WhatsApp your Name and Qualification to 9943990669

a.Online Part Time Jobs from Home

b.Work from Home Jobs Without Investment

c.Freelance Jobs Online for Students

d.Mobile Based Online Jobs

e.Daily Payment Online Jobs

Keyword & Tag: #OnlinePartTimeJob #WorkFromHome #EarnMoneyOnline #PartTimeJob #jobs #jobalerts #withoutinvestmentjob"

Thalaivan Thalaivii Movie Review: A fun-filled and flawed take on marriages, divorces, and everything in between

Pandiraaj reins in the melodrama by relying on relentless comedy that is organically built out of the various relationships depicted in the film, especially the one between Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen's characters.

Divorce, just like marriage, isn’t something that is just about the couple. It might seem to the world that it is a personal choice, but it is always a culmination of causations. 

And divorce, just like marriage, isn’t something that is in the hands of the couple in question. The Indian society, and its legal framework, goes out of its way to enforce the sanctity of marriage, and paints divorce as an evil entity that is out to destroy its very fabric. But representation of the same in our movies has always been sketchy at best. In fact, there are very few movies that even talk about divorce, and to have a film like Thalaivan Thalaivii pooh-poohing it might seem detrimental and regressive. But Pandiraaj is someone who has clearly understood the possible backlash for the same. “I don’t know how people can stay away from their loved ones after getting divorced. What is the use of that freedom and respect?” asks a distraught Aagaasaveeran (Vijay Sethupathi), who quickly adds, “But what do I know? It is their life… but I can’t stay away.” Now, this might seem as a commentary against the concept of divorce, or the character’s inexplicable love for his wife, which doesn’t seem to understand the concept of separation. Is divorce wrong? Nope. Can a character not want to get divorced over things like ego and extended family-induced discord? Yes. Can both these concepts co-exist in the same film? Well, that is what Thalaivan Thalaivii tries to explore, albeit with mixed results. 

But when it is just about the machinations of a couple that seem to have nothing in common except a shared love for parottas,

 Thalaivan Thalaivii is a hoot and a half. While Perarasi (Nithya Menen) is an MBA graduate, Aagaasaveeran is a tenth standard dropout. She believes in winning arguments with silence and stares; he believes in shouting at the top of his voice. She takes time to get hysterical, he starts there. And yet, they are very much in love. They mesh with each other like they are egg and parotta in a kothu parotta, and that’s probably why they don’t bat an eyelid while emotionally battering each other. As Yogi Babu once says in the film, “These are not normal people…” And it is so true of not just Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi, but every character that is part of their extended families. Imagine a Visu-style film with every character in the film played by someone with all the characteristics of a typical Visu character in his films. Why can’t they just say what they want to say without trying to beat around the bush and play unnecessary mind games? But let’s be honest… We know many issues can be solved by just having a conversation, but don’t we know loads of people who aren’t willing to do that basic thing? So, in a way, Thalaivan Thalaivii is about such people who willingly do wrong things simply because they are used to doing these things with impunity. And they do a lot of wrong things.

Director: Pandiraaj

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Nithya Menen, Deepa, RK Suresh, Chemban Vinod Jose, Kaali Venkat, and Yogi Babu

Although the film is filled with characters with rather catchy names, Thalaivan Thalaivii is firmly about Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi.

However, nothing in the film would move ahead without the presence of its crowded ensemble. And it is interesting how this crowd grows in number as the film progresses. It starts with the local thief (Yogi Babu) entering a temple to get divine permission to start his thievery. It then has the family of Kaali Venkat, Myna, and their kids coming to the temple on the occasion of the elder child’s birthday. Then, Perarasi and her parents come to the tonsuring ceremony of her girl child. Aagaasaveeran isn’t there yet, because the couple haven’t been on talking terms for over three months, and are headed for a separation. A riled-up Aagaasaveeran enters the fray, and his anger leads to three different sets of henchmen coming to settle scores. Now, things are primed for an action entertainer coupled with family sentiment, but Pandiraaj prefers dealing with the heavy issues of Thalaivan Thalaivii with liberal doses of levity.

It is this humour that holds together this film, which is built on vibes rather than feelings. Of course, there is an overdose of feelings, but it never overstays its welcome. The same can't be said of the action setpieces that go on too long for a film like Thalaivan Thalaivii. But points to Pandiraaj for sketching the families of Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi in such a way that even these elaborate action sequences have some reason to exist.

Nevertheless, Pandiraaj reins in the melodrama by relying on relentless comedy that is organically built out of the various relationships depicted in the film. While the peripheral equations are painted in broad shades of black and white, the Aagaasaveeran-Perarasi relationship comes in various shades. In fact, with any other person, both of them would seem completely at odds, but with each other, they feel complete. Complete chaos… and yet, there is a weird sense of order there. And the film oscillates between this chaos and order, hoping to weave out a tale about how love will defy all odds, even the ones mounted by those in love. Every single time we see the two break up, patch up, love each other, hate each other, fight with each other, and walk out of each other’s lives, there is a sense of exasperation. But there is also a sense of understanding because Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya play these roles to the gallery. They are loud, loving, obnoxious, affable, insufferable, and yet, charming enough to keep us invested. These scenes play out wonderfully, thanks to the convincing performances, even if they have the potential to rile us up due to their repetitive nature.

There are problems galore in the sketching of the peripheral characters, who are largely one-note. 

They exist to conform to unnecessary stereotypes, and almost none of them come off better, except RK Suresh’s Porchelvan, who plays Perarasi’s brother, and Chemban Vinod Jose’s Arasangam, the father of Perarasi. Barring Nithya, who gets a well-etched out character, the other women in the film are given a raw deal. Why not show us the likes of Deepa Shankar, Roshni Haripriyan, and Janaki Suresh do anything else except be rabble rousers? Is physical violence the only answer? Why not give the likes of Saravanan, Vettai Muthukumar, and Vinod Sagar a more rounded arc? What these missteps essentially does is to keep us at an arm’s length away from many of the peripheral layers that could have gone the way of Kadaikutty Singam. What happens instead is a collection of scenes that are just infuriating for a while, and we remain indifferent to them later. 

Ably supported by Santhosh Narayanan, who does an excellent job of adding melody to this cacophony, Pandiraaj trusts in Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya to eke out a battle of the sexes between two bull-headed people. The film largely relies on loudness to make its points, but it is even better when it lets the quiet moments take over. These scenes come a bit too late in the film, but it is effective nonetheless. The film is quite flippant with its take on divorce, but it manages to subvert it by simply saying it is the story of Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi, and is a tale of how rage, misunderstanding, and miscommunication can take you as far as the courts and police stations, but love can always help you find a way back home. Even if that home is loud, obnoxious, affable, insufferable, charming, and filled with a love that, unlike divorce and marriage, is still a personal choice .

"This Content Sponsored by SBO Digital Marketing.

Mobile-Based Part-Time Job Opportunity by SBO!

Earn money online by doing simple content publishing and sharing tasks. Here's how:

Job Type: Mobile-based part-time work

Work Involves:

Content publishing

Content sharing on social media

Time Required: As little as 1 hour a day

Earnings: ₹300 or more daily

Requirements:

Active Facebook and Instagram account

Basic knowledge of using mobile and social media

For more details:

WhatsApp your Name and Qualification to 9994104160

a.Online Part Time Jobs from Home

b.Work from Home Jobs Without Investment

c.Freelance Jobs Online for Students

d.Mobile Based Online Jobs

e.Daily Payment Online Jobs

Keyword & Tag: #OnlinePartTimeJob #WorkFromHome #EarnMoneyOnline #PartTimeJob #jobs #jobalerts #withoutinvestmentjob"

Eleven Movie Review: This Naveen Chandra thriller tries to be different but ends up odd Despite Naveen Chandra’s shining performance as the driven cop, the lacklustre writing and uninspiring supporting cast leave this film as an open-and-shut case of mediocrity

In this film about stopping serial murders and unmasking a pathological killer, 

Aravindan finds himself chasing a high-IQ psychopath. With zero leads and the clock ticking, the IPS officer is handed the near-impossible task of stopping more innocents from falling prey to this slayer’s flames.

For the first 20 minutes or so, the film focuses on building the world of ACP Aravindan, 

an incredibly sharp detective who believes in working smart, not hard. In fact, a villain even tells him, “Nee endha case-a eduthalum mudikkama vida maatiyaame” (You always end up solving the cases you’re assigned). The filmmaker, though, fails to shake off predictability, which sticks out like a clear fingerprint in a crime scene. For most of the first half, both the film and its officers stumble through a rather sedate investigation. Leads are scarce, breakthroughs rarer. No epiphanies, no goosebump-inducing deductions, just a procedural crawl. While the climax does offer an explanation for this lack of spark, for the longest time, it feels like the film is laying the groundwork for a thriller that forgot to bring the thrills. Too much setting, not enough sleuthing.

It is impressive how director Lokesh AJJLS

ensures that the sparks he leaves behind as seemingly illogical loopholes eventually effect a huge flame in the final act. While it’s true that the last stroke can complete the painting, here, the director spends so much time trying to outsmart the audience that he forgets to engage them. In such genres, the motive behind the murders adds the real weight. So, when a grand reveal is made at intermission, followed by a flashback meant to humanise the killer, the twist becomes all too guessable. This backstory is designed to tug at our heartstrings, maybe even make us momentarily root for the slayer. But while the premise is fresh and full of potential, what makes Eleven guilty of mediocrity is its writing, which never quite moves us enough to connect, resonate, or even empathise with its tormented protagonist. With sentiment acting as the film’s emotional anchor, the absence of the same weakens the foundation, and drags around with no clear end in sight.

Another aspect that Eleven misses out on is the classic thrill of misdirection

. There are no clever red herrings to keep the audience second-guessing. The investigation plays out in binary; the officers either stumble upon a lead or hit a dead end. As mentioned earlier, the final 30 minutes do manage to pull the rug, and finally has red herrings and second guesses before finally unmasking the real culprit.

But after nearly 90 minutes of nothing but groundwork, the twist arrives a little too late. By the time the surprise lands, we’re too burnt out by the slow burn to truly be blown away.

Amidst the darkness of it all, Naveen Chandra’s performance as the charismatic cop comes as the shining light. 

Single-handedly, he shoulders a film with an innovative concept but is burdened by not-so-supportive supporting actors. While Abhirami and Dhilipan put their best foot forward in their limited roles, the other peripheral characters, key to the film’s development, fail to act in its favour.

In the end, Eleven tries to light up the screen with its innovative premise, but like its own killer, it gets lost in the shadows of predictability and missed opportunities. At the heart of a great thriller is the ability to keep audiences on edge, not just for the twists, but for the emotional ride. Eleven has the pieces but forgets to connect them. In a genre built on suspense, sometimes the greatest crime is failing to keep the audience intrigued.

"This Content Sponsored by Buymote Shopping app

BuyMote E-Shopping Application is One of the Online Shopping App

Now Available on Play Store & App Store (Buymote E-Shopping)

Click Below Link and Install Application: https://buymote.shop/links/0f5993744a9213079a6b53e8

Sponsor Content: #buymote #buymoteeshopping #buymoteonline #buymoteshopping #buymoteapplication"

‘Maargan’ movie review: Vijay Antony, debutant Ajay Dishan steer an impressive genre-blender with a faltering finish

Director Leo John Paul’s ‘Maargan’ is an ambitious supernatural investigative thriller that convincingly sells its wacky ideas but falters due to a didactic climax.

Editor-turned-director Leo John Paul’s Maargan is the kind of genre-blender that shouldn’t have worked theoretically — who would take a crime investigation seriously if there’s a lesser-known supernatural element in the mix? Sure, we have seen investigations surrounding ghosts or mythical creatures and monsters, but seldom with the supernatural aspect in Maargan. The film is an ambitious, whimsical mix of genres, and even imagining how the story would have been conceptualised and pitched to lead star and producer Vijay Antony feels fascinating. Many wacky ideas in the film don’t make sense outside the world of the film.

Take, for instance, the supernatural element at the centre; debutant Ajay Dishan’s character 

(the actor is impressive in his debut) Tamizharivu is a talented young swimmer with an eidetic memory. His biggest flex, however, is a superpower of sorts — he can access and swim through the astral plane, a metaphysical realm where the logic of our physical world does not apply. Sounds confusing?

Move on to the next paragraph to avoid the following spoiler-y analogy, but this is fascinating, to say the least. Say you had a bland sambar rice at your office canteen yesterday but missed checking out the other options available at the counter; if you were like Tamizharivu, you could relive the memory of your lunchtime from yesterday, and then perform an astral projection of sorts and swim through that reality at that point of time, and even go into the canteen kitchen without anyone noticing your astral body. Only here, the character has an agenda far more serious than lentil stew.

If Tamizharivu’s powers are far-fetched, he is also suspected to be a serial killer with an unnerving modus operandi:

injecting young women with a mysterious drug that blackens their bodies and kills them instantly. This case is being investigated by Additional Directorate General of Police, Dhruv Korak (Vijay), who, after having already crossed paths with the killer, is left with half his body blackened and under medication. So picture an investigation with a cop who is a living reminder of the fate of the victims.

But here’s the surprise: despite such wild ideas in the mix, Leo John Paul’s Maargan impressively brings it all together to a large extent, becoming a thoroughly engaging thriller. The film’s attention to detail is what first makes you sit right up in the initial portions. Before Dhruv gets a call informing of a murder of a similar modus operandi in Chennai, the cop lies wasted on the floor of his Mumbai flat. Signs of a bleak night all around him, he is lying down on the left side of his body, positioned in such a way that when he wakes up, the camera reveals the blackened left side of his body. But here’s the detail a less serious filmmaker would have missed out on: in a passing moment, as he’s about to open a text, he relies on his right hand to move his left, a sign of a limb that fell asleep from numbness after supporting the weight of his body overnight.

This might seem like a frivolous, even obvious, detail, but it is this meticulousness that grounds us in the world of Maargan. Everything Dhruv does and approaches feels real — when he realises an interrogation might take six hours, he orders lunch and coffee for his team, which includes Kaali (Mahanadhi Shankar) and Sruthi (Brigida Saga) — and this allows the audiences to buy Dhruv’s surprise when he witnesses the supernatural aspect of the story. The key to a gripping investigative thriller is how it pulls you into its world from the beginning, and Maargan excels in that regard, also thanks to the background scores and a colour grade that adds to the atmosphere. It helps that, unlike most usual investigative thrillers, the crux of Maargan’s story begins after a rather intriguing suspect is already in custody. Of late, the problem that has plagued many Tamil thrillers is how contrived some set-ups and pay-offs feel; here, you like how a button camera or a magazine cover or a detail about chlorine-filled water recur later on.

While Maargan does a great job of framing its own logic for the supernatural world and sticking by it, there are quite a few lapses in the real-world logic in the film. The meticulousness in detail gets lost as the story progresses. For instance, you wonder how the people Dhruv meets in his investigation — including acquaintances he hasn’t met in a decade — do not seem perturbed or surprised by the visible decolouration in his body. Moreover, the whole section revolving around Tamizharivu’s ex-girlfriend feels tacky, and you wonder if the purpose could have been achieved more effectively. Also, is it necessary for cops to have suffered a tragedy to take a case seriously? Sure, a troubled cop gets the creative liberty to do as he wishes, even operate outside the yellow lines if needed, but this pattern does get a bit exhausting, especially if the tragedy is related to the case in hand.

Now, what might come too close to turning the tide against the film is how the final act is written and treated. The director ties the ends by going after a sitting duck that one could see coming from far away, and even if this was the whole point of the story, you wonder if it could have been handled in a less didactic fashion.

On the face of it, Maargan could’ve been any other serial killer investigative thriller, if not for the supernatural aspect that elevates it into something more. Which is why it’s impossible to settle for the blunt reality it forces upon us towards the end. If some real-world ideas in the investigation could use a supernatural twist, you wonder why the other real-world ideas spelt out in the climax weren’t treated similarly without turning didactic. The film fails to do so despite having all the necessary ingredients for it.

If anything, Maargan is an amusingly paradoxical representation of what Tamil cinema could do more of with — stars experimenting with genres — as well as what it could do away from. We don’t need to end all films with an in-your-face moral lesson ( and we don’t need one that can’t even get its ‘isms’ right).

"This Content Sponsored by Buymote Shopping app

BuyMote E-Shopping Application is One of the Online Shopping App

Now Available on Play Store & App Store (Buymote E-Shopping)

Click Below Link and Install Application: https://buymote.shop/links/0f5993744a9213079a6b53e8

Sponsor Content: #buymote #buymoteeshopping #buymoteonline #buymoteshopping #buymoteapplication"

Vithaikkaaran is a film that works best when the comedy and drama elements are intertwined. The film suffers when it gets into full-on serious mode, as these portions don't work as well as its dark comedy moments and meta-jokes.

Vithaikkaaran Movie Synopsis: 

A magician-turned-thief finds himself in danger as he is suspected of stealing a diamond in a heist. In the midst of it all, he suffers a temporary memory loss. With gangsters after his life, how will he get out of trouble?

Vithaikkaaran Movie Review: First and foremost, Vithaikkaaran deserves praise for its single-mindedness. Director Venki has made a film that remains focused on telling its story without any extra fluff. Throughout its runtime, the film hardly goes off track in the name of entertainment.The film does provide certain laugh-out-loud moments that are worthy of appreciation. But it's not until the very end that the thriller elements really come together. It's unfortunate that by then, it's already too late.Vithaikkaaran is a film that works best when the comedy and drama elements are intertwined. The film suffers when it gets into full-on serious mode, as these portions don't work as well as its dark comedy moments and meta-jokes.It doesn't mean that none of the serious moments in the film work. A scene in which two men are talking about a woman they both loved at two different points in life is truly a beautiful exchange between two grown men.An evident problem with Vithaikkaaran is its abrupt and hurried editing. Take, for example, a scene shot on a metro train. The scene in itself is intriguing, but the makers have a little too much fun with the editing. The same scene could have easily had a better impact without any of this fuzz. The music by VBR is also largely underwhelming.Speaking of the cast, Sathish fares much better when he is in casual mode, but the actor fails to make a mark in the emotional moments. The supporting actors do their parts well, but Simran Gupta feels like a miscast in the film's setting.It also has to be said that Vithaikkaaran really picks up towards the end. The portions set in the airport are a clear highlight. If the other parts had also been made with such precision, then we would have gotten a solid entertainer.

"This Content Sponsored by Buymote Shopping app

BuyMote E-Shopping Application is One of the Online Shopping App

Now Available on Play Store & App Store (Buymote E-Shopping)

Click Below Link and Install Application: https://buymote.shop/links/0f5993744a9213079a6b53e8

Sponsor Content: #buymote #buymoteeshopping #buymoteonline #buymoteshopping #buymoteapplication"

‘Kannappa’ movie review: This grand retelling of a devotional tale lacks soul Barring a few moments driven by Prabhas and Vishnu Manchu, ‘Kannappa’ struggles with a dull, uneven narrative

 

At one point, well into the second hour of the Telugu film Kannappa

, Prabhas appears on screen as the deity Rudra. His extended cameo includes lines that cheekily nod to his larger-than-life image — one even references the endless speculation around his bachelorhood. These ‘meta’ touches serve as deliberate fan service, injecting energy into an otherwise uneven narrative.

It is a shame, because Kannappa, led by Vishnu Manchu, sets out with the earnest ambition of reintroducing the devotional legend to a contemporary audience. Rooted in folklore, the story follows Thinna, an atheist hunter believed to be a reincarnation of Arjuna, who transforms into a devout follower of Lord Shiva. In a final act of faith, he offers his own eyes to the deity, earning the name Kannappa.

The story of Kannappa has previously graced the Telugu screen in Bapu’s revered 1976 film Bhakta Kannappa, 

which starred Krishnam Raju — uncle to Prabhas, who makes a much-publicised cameo in this new retelling. The region’s cinema is no stranger to devotional dramas; the past has offered audiences tales told with both grandeur and emotional integrity, drawing them deeply into the spiritual journeys of their protagonists.

In contrast, the core of Kannappa (2025) is overwhelmed by its ambition to stage a pan-Indian spectacle. Big-ticket names from across industries — Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal as Shiva and Parvathi, Mohanlal and Prabhas in extended cameos — are employed, but their presence does little to enrich the narrative.

The film follows Thinna (Vishnu Manchu), a tribal hunter who renounces faith after a childhood trauma.

His disillusionment with blind rituals is a theme that recurs intermittently, posing thought-provoking questions about the performance of devotion. But just as these threads begin to tug at the viewer’s curiosity, especially through sporadic divine reactions from Shiva and Parvathi, the film retreats, offering no deeper interrogation. Instead, it reverts to tracing Thinna’s transformation from sceptic to Shiva’s most ardent devotee.

Much of Kannappa has been filmed in New Zealand, in an attempt to recreate a lush, second-century landscape. While visually impressive in parts, this setting often feels dislocated from the cultural and emotional terrain of the story. The tribal skirmishes, particularly the face-off with the Kalamukha clan — whose aesthetic borrows heavily from Baahubali’s Kalakeya warriors — feel derivative and underwhelming in comparison.

This brings us to the larger problem — in the post-Baahubali era, it is not enough to go big.

 S.S. Rajamouli’s films endure not because of scale alone, but because they rooted spectacle in craft — tight screenplays, innovative action sequences, and emotional stakes that resonated. In Kannappa, action set pieces are clunky, and the visual effects often distract rather than dazzle.

Beneath the film’s bloated surface, however, are flickers of genuine narrative promise. The bond between Thinna and his father (Sarath Kumar), and his continued yearning for his late mother, provide glimpses of pathos. His relationship with Nemali (Preethi Mukundhan), a warrior princess and Shiva devotee, also had potential. Preethi possesses a striking presence, but her character is reduced to ornamental appeal after a brief flash of swordplay and a couple of high-glam songs.

The film briefly explores the contrast between Mahadeva Shastri’s (Mohan Babu) orthodox puja 

 complete with silks and flowers — and Thinna’s more visceral form of worship, offering meat from his hunt. It is a crucial narrative pivot that could have added depth to the devotional theme, but it arrives too late and is too hurriedly resolved to have any real impact.

With a sprawling ensemble that includes veterans like Madhoo, Brahmanandam, Sapthagiri, Brahmaji, Mukesh Rishi, and Aishwariyaa Bhaskaran, the film is overpopulated and underwritten. Of these, only Sarath Kumar and Mohan Babu leave a lasting impression. Vishnu Manchu finds his footing in the emotional climax, but by then, much of the momentum is already lost.

Ultimately, Kannappa had a moving legend to build upon — a tale of unwavering faith and sacrifice. But what it needed was not more star power or visual gloss, but storytelling rooted in emotional clarity and cultural texture. In striving for grandeur, it forgets to tell the story that matters.

Kannappa is currently running in theatres.

"This Content Sponsored by Buymote Shopping app

BuyMote E-Shopping Application is One of the Online Shopping App

Now Available on Play Store & App Store (Buymote E-Shopping)

Click Below Link and Install Application: https://buymote.shop/links/0f5993744a9213079a6b53e8

Sponsor Content: #buymote #buymoteeshopping #buymoteonline #buymoteshopping #buymoteapplication"

Ace movie review: Vijay Sethupathi, Rukmini Vasanth’s crime comedy is yet another disaster that uses Yogi Babu as the butt of tasteless jokes

Ace movie review: Although the Vijay Sethupathi and Rukmini Vasanth-starrer had the potential to be a thrilling and fun crime comedy, the intrigue at its core is completely undermined by Arumuga Kumar’s extremely lazy writing.

Ace movie review: Coincidences happen; they can be nice and fun too, particularly in crime and action comedies. But relying solely on coincidences at almost every juncture is simply convenient and lazy writing. Writer-director Arumuga Kumar’s Ace proves exactly that.

From the moment Vijay Sethupathi’s 

character lands in Malaysia, his life becomes a series of conveniently crafted “coincidences”. Immediately after stepping out of the airport, Arivu (Yogi Babu) appears before him ‘out of the blue’. In an extremely clichéd moment, Arivu asks him if he is Bolt Kannan, claiming “this is what he would look like” and then proceeds to rattle off all sorts of details about Kannan. For someone who is definitely not Bolt Kannan but is in dire need of a disguise, this is just too convenient to pass up. Without asking for any ID or proof (and that too in this era), Arivu confirms that he is Kannan and takes him to live in a neighbourhood largely inhabited by Tamils. The real Bolt Kannan was summoned to Malaysia to work as a chef at a food joint run by Arivu’s love interest, Kalpana (Divya Pillai), and thus Vijay’s character conveniently lands a job as well. Totally coincidental.

Don't Miss | Narivetta movie review: Tovino Thomas’ action drama is a triggering reminder of a crimson-stained chapter in Kerala’s history

In his new neighbourhood, he meets a pretty young woman, Rukmini Vasanth, in an eponymous role, and they, of course, have a rocky start. Nonetheless, he immediately develops feelings for her. Then, they keep running into each other, not just in their locality, but in other parts of the city too, as if someone is scripting their story and desperately wants them to keep meeting so they can eventually fall in love. The coincidences keep stacking up. At the exact moment when Rukmini wants some people to be beaten up, Kannan appears and does the job, completely altering her opinion of him. And before long, she falls for him; totally coincidental, especially considering the film offers no proper explanation for her change of heart. All we’re shown is the two of them talking and laughing, with a song, “Urugudhu Urugudhu,” playing in the background. I thought such unimaginative storytelling was a thing of the past. Clearly not.

As if these weren’t enough, both Kalpana and Rukmini are facing conveniently timed financial crises. Kalpana needs a large sum to settle a bank debt tied to her food joint, while Rukmini needs a huge amount to escape the clutches of her ruthless stepfather, police officer Raja Dorai (portrayed extremely poorly by Babloo Prithiveeraj). But fret not; Kannan is here to save the day. A pro poker player, he tries to make money through gambling. However, his plan backfires (probably one of the few times things don’t go his way), and he ends up just as deeply in debt to mafia don Dharma (a decent BS Avinash). Desperate, he robs a bank. And yes, the heist is just as casually written as it sounds — rushed and completely devoid of tension or planning. Meanwhile, Kannan also wins a jackpot worth nearly the same amount he stole; just imagine the level of coincidences that happen in his life.

 

"This Content Sponsored by Buymote Shopping app

BuyMote E-Shopping Application is One of the Online Shopping App

Now Available on Play Store & App Store (Buymote E-Shopping)

Click Below Link and Install Application: https://buymote.shop/links/0f5993744a9213079a6b53e8

Sponsor Content: #buymote #buymoteeshopping #buymoteonline #buymoteshopping #buymoteapplication"