Banner: Studio Green Films
Production: K.E. Gnanavel Rajan
Direction: Susindran
Actors: Karthi, Kajal Agarwal, Jaya Prakash and others
Dialogues: Bhaskar Sakthi
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Camera: Mathi
Editing: Kasi Viswanathan
Lyrics: Na. Muthukumar, Yuga Bharathy, Francis
Stunt: Anal Arasu
Art: Rajeevan
Choreography: Sabeena Khan, Baba Bhaskar
Production Manager: Anthony
Co-Producers: S.R. Prakash Babu, S.R. Prabhu
Expectations were literally bigger than before as Susindran and Karthi joined hands together. These personalities share a common history of success in film industry and together they have outmatched their previous films now. ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ top notches on every arenas as it holds a powerful theme and technicians glistering at their best. The film creates a lump in your throats with its serious subject and you’ll walk out of theatres with an intense emotion.
What starts as a passable entertainer turns into a gripping crime-thriller during second half. Hats off to entire team as they deserve praises for their earnest efforts and brilliancies.
The film focalizes on the increasing crimes in Chennai and how it disturbs the lives of innocuous people leading a peaceful life.
Jeeva (Karthi) has a picture perfect life with caring parents (Jayaprakash, ‘Eeram’ fame Lakshmi), affectionate sister (Priya of ‘Singam’ fame) and supportive friends. His life is filled with absolute happiness when Priya (Kajal Agarwal) comes across his life. Marked by abrupt transitions, Jeeva’s life undergoes a wild change as the dark-crude side of Chennai has other plans for him. The emotions and perplexities are now on hi s playing cards. Jeeva is now forced to handle the situations, in a way he never expected. On the pragmatic contexts, the film touches the increasing crime rates in Metropolitan City of Chennai.
Karthi showcases ne plus ultra performance and gets under the skin of his characterization. It’s a relief for those, who felt his role was incisively exaggerated in ‘Paiyya’. What is sure to surprise you is the fact that it doesn’t boast of any stunts till the climax. For the first 100minutes, the film strides with spanking narration of fun, frolic and romance. However, Susindran makes sure that audiences are provided with a clue right on the prologue about what this film is all about. The point of conjunction by involving Karthi’s character has been well designed by the filmmaker.
The most highlighting attribute of this film is the crisp and crystal-clear narration. Susindran makes sure the audiences are not dragged back and forth with fluctuating tempos. The 130mins of drama keeps you adhered to screens.
Karthi excels with his charismatic appeal and deserves special mention for his stunning performance in action sequences. Even his hilarious mannerisms during first half are enjoyable. Kajal Agarwal looks bubbly, cherubic and shares a great chemistry with Karthi. Jayaprakash continues striking gold at his performance level while Lakshmi deserves same praises for her acting. 4 youngsters (one of them looks identical as younger boy, who played Suriya’s role in ‘Nandha’) are excellent on their part.
Technically, Yuvan Shankar Raja’s musical score is the biggest asset as his Midas touch on background score enhances the visuals canned by Mathi. The cinematographer has completely changed his pattern from ‘Paiyya’ and emblazons the screens with different touch. Kasi Viswanathan’s editing is sleek and neat.
Stunts choreographed by Anal Arasu are far beyond excellence. The action sequences moves you to the edge of seats. It’s nice and realistic to see the baddies being more dominant than an ordinary guy in these stunts.
As on whole, ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ isn’t just an entertaining film, but a hardcore reality that has been prevailing amongst the people in contemporaneous city of Chennai.
We wish Susindran to keep his thumbs up and producers are sure to take a cake walk. It’s yet another precious stud in Karthi’s career.
What works: Almost everything, the plot and screenplay, performances, technical panoramas
What doesn’t work: Missing a duet song ‘Oru Maalai Neram’ from Yuvan’s bank
Verdict: Just outstanding. Must watch it
Checkout making of Naan Mahan Alla movie videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ0PhqINatc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D02b23Y8BuQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyXuyGelRjk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlwHDDA-gWw
Kollywood Young and handsome hero Karthi’s latest much waited film ‘Naan Mahan Alla’ has completed its censor formalities recently and was given ‘U/A‘ certification with minor cuts by the Regional Censor Board. The movie was released from August 20th.
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Balakumaran says
August 20, 2010 at 6:39 pmKarthi Sivakumar is now three films old. From an uncouth rural youth in Paruthi Veeran to the utterly sophisticated software professional in Paiyya/ Paiyaa, the actor has done each role with ease. The handsome hunk has recently completed Naan Mahaan Alla (directed by Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu fame Suseenthiran), which is all set to grace theatres tomorrow (August 20, 2010). The trailer of this action-packed drama has already created a lot of buzz in Kollywood. The sizzling chemistry between Karthi and Kajal Aggarwal is also the talk of the town.
“The primary reason is that my character Jeeva in this film is what I am in real life—a happy-go-lucky middle-class guy with whom everybody can easily relate to. I didn’t really ‘act’ in the film as it was ‘me’ on screen. In fact, I had to unlearn lot of things to be myself,” the actor said to a leading English daily.
“Naan Mahaan Alla is a beautiful film; youthful, fresh and pragmatic. It’s about ordinary people and their lives, sans any exaggeration. Neither do I bash up 100 villains at one go, nor do I perform any breathtaking stunts. The story is a slice from our lives and nowhere during the film will one feel that they are actually watching a movie. Every actor has come up with a realistic performance in typical Suseenthiran style!” he added.
The actor has already started his work on his next film Siruthai. “Now, that’s going to be a mass film in which I thrash 1000 goons and spew punch dialogues! Comedian Santhanam is on board and I must say that I share a better chemistry with him than with all my heroines. It’s going to be a drastically different outing,” he revealed.
experience says
August 22, 2010 at 12:23 pm‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ had more reasons to watch the film as it raised everyone’s hopes much prior to release. Director Susindhran’s debut directorial ‘Vennila Kabadi Kulu’ was a grand success and Karthi’s career graph is over the top of charts and Studio Green’s productions have churned out more hits.
‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ boasts off an unparalleled conceptualization with the complete first half being crafted with fun romance with a tenuous lead to unexpected twist in the second hour. But the harshness prevailing in violence sequences maybe resent by female audiences.
The film revolves around Jeeva (Karthi), who has nothing to worry in life. A happy family, caring friends and a beautiful girlfriend Priya (Kajal Agarwal) makes his days much paradisiacal. On the spur of moment, an unexpected twist tale exposes him to the darkest side of Chennai. It is a do-or-die situation for Jeeva as he has to walk through the ways he had never imagined.
On the performance level, Karthi scores brownie points. Be the sequence where he emotes ferociously towards the climax or the hilarious sequences during first half, the actor is over the top. Especially, he has showcased an excellent performance during climax stunt scenes. Kajal Agarwal with her cherubic looks steals the show. Her onscreen chemistry with Karthi is one of the USPs. Jayaprakash as Karthi’s father turns the spotlights on him. The friend characters of Karthi have been well delineated. The newcomers enacting the baddies’ role are extraordinary. Their characterizations are almost similar to the psychopath killers in Kamal Haasan starrer ‘Vettaiyadu Vilaiyaadu’.
Musical score by Yuvan Shankar Raja is crème de la crème and the background score is beyond excellence. The cinematography by Mathi is top-notching as he uses different tones for romantic and action sequences. Kasi Viswanathan’s editing is neat and perfect.
On the flip side, the overdosed violence maybe slighting ignored by female audiences and children. The complete first half is brimmed with fun and frolic that keeps the story going at good pace.
‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ is a sure-footed winner at box office and it’s yet another feather in Karthi’s cap.
Verdict: Watch it for a different experience
Ravinder says
August 23, 2010 at 1:56 pmDirector Suseendhiran, who gave us an enjoyable fare in ‘Vennila Kabadikuzhu’ which had as its backdrop the traditional sport of Kabbadi, has come out with his second venture titled ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’, billed as an out-and-out commercial venture. After delivering a hit with newcomers and a simple film, Suseendhiran has a hero-oriented subject and an action-packed entertainer as his second directorial venture.
Does he court success in his latest effort? Of course, he does! Comparison between ‘Vennila Kabadikuzhu’ and ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’ would not only be improper but inappropriate as well. While the former was a village-based subject, the latter is an urban-based story depicting the lives of the city’s middle-class, youths taking the twin-paths of drugs and crime and the gangster culture prevailing in North Chennai.
Suseendhiran appears to have done enough homework prior to starting this project for he has shown all these three facets of the metropolitan life as they exist. Though the story’s backdrop is hardly new to the viewers, it’s the treatment by the director that makes the audience sit up and take notice. He has also deftly used Karthi’s screen-presence. It’s the handling of the light and serious sequences which has made the difference.
Let’s have a look at the story first. Jeeva (Karthi) is the son of a call-Taxi driver (Jayaprakash). Jeeva is a positive-minded guy who doesn’t lament about the lack of luxuries in his life but one who is intent in leading a happy and contended life. Jeeva falls for Kajal Aggarwal, whom he comes across at the wedding of one of his friends.
Jeeva successfully conveys his love to her and wins over her heart. When Kajal’s father opposes the love affair, he manages to convince him too about his intentions of marrying his ladylove. All of a sudden, a twin-murder takes place in the story which brings unexpected and shocking changes in the lives of the lead characters. Jeeva’s father gets murdered which forces Jeeva into the whole affair and the rest of the movie is about how he handles the challenges ahead of him.
The first half is very lively where as the second half gets into a serious mode. The contrast is so much so that you actually feel like you’ve watched two ‘different’ films, one in the first half and the other in the second half. The director could have balanced this ‘vast’ difference but compensates adequately for this in the sleek narration and the fast-paced sequences.
His admirable portrayal of the lives of the rowdies of North Chennai, their inevitable addiction to all kinds of drugs and their lives which obviously is short of any kind of moral values keeps the audience on their toes. Sleek editing and a planned screenplay leave the viewers convinced about the murders and the motives behind each of those murders.
Karthi, fresh from the success of his ‘Paiyaah’, plays a normal youth sans any heroism in fight sequences and other situations. The casual manner in which Karthi’s character has been depicted makes it endear to the viewers. Karthi also reveals the ‘humourous’ side in him and literally carries the film on his shoulders by revealing the many traits in his acting repertoire. He breathes fire in the action sequences.
Kajal Aggarwal, back in Tamil films after more than two years, looks fresh and does the ‘disappearing act’ in the session after the intermission. The bearded guy and the guy with an unkempt hair, who play the murderers, look very realistic and have done their roles well. Jayaprakash as Karthi’s father has delivered an absolutely flawless performance.
Dialogues (by Bhaskar Shakti) and music by Yuvan Shankar Raja are the major pillars which hold the movie. Almost all the songs by Junior Ilaiyaraaja are peppy, foot-tapping and melodious, much like his illustrious and legendary father. Action sequences – especially the climax fight – have been shot very well. In fact, the quality of Mathi’s camerawork has been excellent right through the film. His use of the candle-light in song and fight sequences has come out nicely.
A revenge story told with freshness.
SHRIGUHAN says
September 2, 2010 at 3:25 pmTHE FILM DEPICTS the poorgovt college students in a bad light .karthi always use cellphone while riding .hedrinks casually during social occasions. A bad example.polemics apart , a nice racy entertainment for a dull weekend.