Saturday 8 June 2013

Neram Review

Neram Tamil Movie Review




Film Name:Neram 
Cast: Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim, Bobby Simha, John Vijay, 
Thambi Ramaiah, Nasser, RJ Ramesh Thilak
Direction: Alphonse Putharen
Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes

Neram Review
Synopsis: Jobless Vetri (Nivin Pauly) has to pay up ruthless moneylender Vatti Raja (Bobby Simha), but the money is snatched by a petty thief Lighthouse (Ramesh Thilak). His girlfriend Veni (Nazriya Nazim) has left home for good, her father has filed a complaint and now sub-inspector Katta Kunju (John Vijay) is also behind him. Vetri is running out of time to find a solution to his problems.

Review: It is a good portent that films like 'Soodhu Kavvum' and 'Neram' are being made at a time when cinema is celebrating its centenary in India. For, directors like Nalan Kumarasamy and Alphonse Putharen (and also others like Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Balaji Mohan, Karthik Subbaraj and Balaji Tharaneetharan) are those who will take Tamil cinema into the future.

The ads for 'Neram' cheekily claimed it was "the first movie in the history of Tamil cinema to have nothing new". Well, the story is nothing out of the ordinary, what is different is the treatment and the humour and irreverence the director brings to the table. A police SI has set up an office inside a cell because the station is being painted, a doctor checks the pulse of a patient outside the mortuary and pronounces him dead, the moneylender can't believe that a phone costs Rs 10,000 and doesn't have buttons on it - the movie has such gems sprinkled throughout that you are left laughing when not following Vetri's travails on the screen.

The perfect casting works as a big positive for the movie. Nivin and Nazriya look natural as a couple in love. Nivin impresses in the chase and action sequences. Thambi Ramaiah is good as Saravanan, the father of Veni. His exchanges with SI Katta Kunju are sure to bring the roof down, with John Vijay too in fine form. Vijay's story-telling scene is another laugh riot, as are his scenes with veteran Nasser. He comes on the screen late in the second half, but dominates right from the word go. It is sad that few roles are being written that can utilize his full potential.

But it is Bobby Simha whose work comes as a revelation. From the innocent look he carried with charm in 'Soodhu Kavvum' to the cut-throat 'Vatti Raja' in 'Neram', he comes out as an actor to watch out for.

The eclectic background score by Rajesh Murugesan adds pep to the movie, as does the use of 'Pistah' in the action sequences. Anend C Chandran's work behind the camera gives a gritty look to Chennai and the chase scene through narrow streets and slums is definitely worth a watch.

Alphonse Putharen is a welcome addition to the new wave of Tamil film directors, and is a sign of the good times ahead for Indian cinema.
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