M. Suganth reviews
98 reviews of Indian films, average rating 3.0/5.
Kochadiiyaan succeeds not because of technology but because of the writing.
Read the full review...we very much know where the story is heading. And, that is Amara Kaaviyam's biggest trouble — the audience knows what to expect.
Read the full reviewThe film also gives the feeling that it should have been edited tightly, not on the editing table but during the writing.
Read the full reviewUnfortunately for us, the second only makes the first seem better despite the actual plot kicking in only here.
Read the full review...unlike Thuppakki, the previous Murugadoss-Vijay effort, Kaththi is overlong, over-the-top, over-familiar, and overtly preachy.
Read the full reviewPoojai is quite lengthy. Much of the fluff is songs and comedy sequences, which, if removed, could easily have reduced the running time by at least 30 minutes but Hari is not after a thriller but a masala movie.
Read the full reviewThe problem with the film is that it tells a predictable story and in a rather longwinded manner.
Read the full reviewThere is hardly any conflict and the chaos, the drama and the thrills that one expects in an end-of-a-community scenario are largely absent.
Read the full reviewIn some ways, Naaigal Jaakirathai feels like a new-age Rama Narayanan film — a pet helping the hero to overcome the villains is a trope that the director has used many times — but Shakti Soundar Rajan dials down on the camp and…
Read the full reviewIn some ways, Naaigal Jaakirathai feels like a new-age Rama Narayanan film — a pet helping the hero to overcome the villains is a trope that the director has used many times — but Shakti Soundar Rajan dials down on the camp and…
Read the full reviewThe entire film is low on whistle-worthy moments. Given that this is a Rajini film, we expect punch (and punch dialogues) in the scenes but strangely, the film lacks energy.
Read the full reviewVisually, Ra is very well done (R Saravanan's camera work is striking) and there are moments that are quite inspired.
Read the full reviewAt one point in the film, we are shown that the villain uses a mathematical formula in his operation. It is only in the end, we realize that it is not just the villain but the film's director as well who has succumbed to formula.
Read the full reviewThere are no thrilling cat-and-mouse games and in their place all we get are predictable situations, a mood-killing love track between Nandha and Madhu, a local girl and a tame climax that is utterly disappointing.
Read the full reviewAs we exit, we realize that maybe there is some truth in what all these three films suggest — to succeed in the film industry, one must not just have talent but lot of ingenuity as well.
Read the full reviewIf you have seen Siva's previous films — Siruthai and Veeram — you will have a fair idea of what to expect in Vedalam.
Read the full reviewThis is Udhayabhanu Maheswaran's big break and as Feelings Ravi, he is a riot. And despite the lack of speaking lines, Munishkanth (aka Ramdas) manages to be funny.
Read the full reviewTharkappu Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, The plot of Tharkappu has scope for a decent action thriller, but the writing is uneven.
Read the full reviewBangalore Naatkal Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, We are swept up by the narrative, despite the predictability, and start enjoying it.
Read the full reviewMiruthan Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, The problem with Miruthan is that the execution doesn’t match its ambition.
Read the full reviewSethupathi Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, There is hardly any lull in the film and we just go along on this entertaining ride.
Read the full reviewKanithan Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, When looked at as a whole, Kanithan feels less than the sum of its parts.
Read the full reviewAarathu Sinam Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Aarathu Sinam is not a frame-by-frame remake unlike many of the recent Malayalam remakes.
Read the full reviewLover is a brutally honest and bittersweet relationship drama
Read the full reviewThe magical realism in the final act does make us wonder how much of what's unfolding is happening inside Thangalaan's head, but Ranjith's refusal to spell it out is what makes the film singular.
Read the full reviewThis mature writing is complemented by the solid filmmaking. Dinesh Purushothaman's cinematography brings out the dusty browns of the grounds and the rustic setting of Gethu's home in fine fashion while Madan G's cuts sharpen the…
Read the full reviewSiddharth's Chithha is a hard-hitting and deeply unsettling tale of abuse. The performances, too, are top-notch.
Read the full reviewThere's conviction in the filmmaking that makes us overlook several of the film's flaws.
Read the full reviewBut that success seems to have emboldened the director and he has now made yet another mildly amusing film that is entertaining only in fitsSure, there is ‘comedy’ (the buzz word in Tamil cinema these days) in the film.
Read the full reviewThanga Meenkal shares many of Kattradhu Tamizh’s film’s strengths and flaws. It is a well-intentioned effort, strikingly shot, and held together by persuasive performances.
Read the full reviewMoodar Koodam plays very much like a cross between this year’s two other black comedies €” Soodhu Kavvum and Neram.
Read the full reviewComedy might be the trend in Tamil cinema of late but this film feels like an exercise done just for the sake of it.
Read the full reviewComedy might be the trend in Tamil cinema of late but this film feels like an exercise done just for the sake of it.
Read the full reviewArrambam is a very familiar tale of corruption, betrayal and revenge, served up with a dash of style.
Read the full reviewIrandam Ulagam is thematically closer to Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain.
Read the full reviewIt looks like Vijay has realized that he can be in mass masala films that are not only entertaining to his fan base but also to every segment in the audience.
Read the full reviewVeeram Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, The film is a template masala film — a superhuman hero, his cronies who will sing his praises all th
Read the full reviewThe characters too are broadly written and the actors try their best to elevate this material but there is hardly anything for them to hold on to and showcase something fresh.
Read the full reviewMaan Karate is nothing but a showcase for Sivakarthikeyan. It is an acknowledgement that the former TV personality is today a bonafide star.
Read the full reviewMundasupatti is one heady cocktail when it comes to the genres that the film dabbles in.
Read the full reviewAnd, yet, despite the flair, the film feels uneven and the strain to maintain a lighthearted tone makes one think that nothing is really at stake here.
Read the full reviewIf Pizza was a con movie dressed up as a haunted house horror thriller, Jigarthanda is basically a comedy cloaked as a gangster movie.
Read the full reviewWhen a film announces loud and clear all that it wants to do is be in service of its hero, and make him as larger than life as possible, we accept it and all that we expect from it is to entertain us.
Read the full reviewIf the first half leaves us with a rush, the second half feels rushed.
Read the full reviewBaaram is more documentary-ish, with the director stripping away the drama in the plot as much as possible.
Read the full reviewThere have been a spate of Tamil films espousing the cause of farming and farmers in recent times, but unlike in those films, in which the theme came across as virtual signalling, in Kadaisi Vivasayi, the intention feels pure.
Read the full reviewIravin Nizhal Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Iravin Nizhal, like the best of Parthiban's films, isn't a film you can ever fault for lack of effor
Read the full reviewHarish Kalyan and MS Bhaskar excel in a tensely staged drama on an everyday issue
Read the full reviewAn affecting, if slightly overlong, emotional drama
Read the full reviewIf Anand Shankar’s previous film Arima Nambi had echoes of K Bhagyaraj’s Rudhra, the set-up of Iru Mugan recalls that of Kamal Haasan’s Vikram
Read the full reviewThe film does have genuinely affecting moments, and actors enhance the ordinary writing in many of the scenes.
Read the full reviewAranmanai 2 Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Despite toeing so closely to the original’s formula, Aranmanai-2 feels underwhelming.
Read the full reviewVikram Vedha Movie Review: The reason why Vikram is so obsessed over Vedha is never convincingly established — we get the routine similar men on different sides of a line explanation, but in a film that is so well thought-out…
Read the full reviewTheeran Adhigaaram Ondru Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Vinoth’s detailing is what sets Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru apart from the other cop films.
Read the full reviewVetri Maaran's rich detailing, be it the life in the prison or outside of it, helps us become a part of the story. Dhanush (a rare star-actor), in a role that has shades of the characters he played i
Read the full reviewThaanaa Serndha Koottam Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, The film works wonderfully well as long as it stays closer to the plot of Special 26, and the change
Read the full reviewSurya valiantly tries hard to inject life into a flaccid script that cannot decide if it wants to be a crowd-pleasing political fantasy or a grounded political drama.
Read the full reviewKV Anand’s Kaappaan feels like one of those patriotic films that Vijayakanth and Arjun frequently made in the 90s, but is not as entertaining as those.
Read the full reviewAsuran Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Vetri Maaran delivers yet another solid action drama that keeps us engrossed from start to finish
Read the full reviewKarnan Movie Review: Critics Rating: 4 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Karnan might seem like a familiar tale of struggle between the oppressed and oppressor, but Mari Sel
Read the full reviewIt’s a clash between stunts and sentiment in Valimai, a somewhat engaging but overlong action movie that hides its simplistic writing with elaborate action set-pieces.
Read the full reviewEtharkkum Thunindhavan Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, A lawyer turns judge jury and executioner and goes after a gang, led by a minister's son, that threa
Read the full reviewVijay is in terrific form, cracking one-liners that have us break out into a smile. Varisu is a potent commercial cocktail that delivers on its promise of entertainment.
Read the full reviewMaaveeran Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Madonne Ashwin mixes humour and social commentary to great effect in Maaveeran, which has a plot tha
Read the full reviewDhanush ensures that we never forget that this is first and foremost an emotionally charged drama, so despite all the heroism and bloodshed that we see on screen (the filmmakers also deserve praise for going with the 'A' rating)…
Read the full reviewThe scene transitions doesn't happen in a smooth manner, the villain doesn't seem deadly enough, and some of the moments in the second half, like a chase on a highway (even AR Rahman's score is generic here) and the climax, could…
Read the full reviewAranmanai 4 Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Aranmanai 4 does what it intends to do — overwhelming us with kitsch and underwhelming us with its l
Read the full reviewThe rich production values, especially Ravi K Chandran's glossy visuals, the mystery around the fate of Chandra and the inevitable face-off between Sakthivel and Amaran make us stay invested.
Read the full reviewIf only had the writing been more focused in the latter portions, Retro could have escaped the curse of the second half, and turned into something truly memorable.
Read the full reviewIt has been a while since we had a film whose twists and double twists were genuinely surprising and in 24, we are kept slightly off-guard as to what might happen when a character does something.
Read the full reviewBairavaa Movie Review: The set-up of Bairavaa is almost like that of Ghilli, the only difference is that the hero goes to the villain’s home ground and takes him on there.
Read the full reviewThis time, Ranjith uses Rajinikanth the Superstar to tell his message — land is the common man's right. The story is simple... Migrants from Tamil Nadu settle in Dharavi and help build it, and run the city.
Read the full reviewWhat would it be like if the characters from Endhiran find themselves inside the plot of typical Shankar movie? 2.0 is what you would get.
Read the full reviewPetta Movie Review: Petta succeeds where Lingaa failed – it sticks to the formula, but it also makes it feel fresh.
Read the full reviewA do-gooder don wants his footballer son to uplift the life of his people by becoming a champion, but fate draws the youngster into a life of violence. Will he be able to fulfill his father’s dream w
Read the full reviewA man from a village dreams of creating a revolution by starting a lowcost airline. Can his dreams take wings?
Read the full reviewIn the end, it is the charismatic performances of Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi that keeps us rooting. Vijay dances like a dream, and puts his coolth to good effect in the college scenes.
Read the full reviewMaanaadu Movie Review: Critics Rating: 4 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, A Muslim man, who is stuck in a time loop, has to stop a political rally from taking place in order
Read the full reviewThe action scenes, while solidly choreographed, never leave us with a rush. There are a couple of cool shots, like a zoom out and zoom in which Karnan and Amar switch places, but after after a point, the stunts leave us unmoved.
Read the full reviewBeast Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, The director seems to have banked entirely on his star to carry the film, but with a script that ha
Read the full reviewIt is cinema of maximalism, often breaking the third wall, peppered with throwbacks, and with only one goal - to deliver a high every few minutes. More than mass masala, it's max masala!
Read the full reviewThe film would have remained unique and engaging (and also justifying the Part 2 in the title) if Arun Kumar had trusted his audience and chosen to show us only the events that unfold during this one night.
Read the full reviewThe problem with the film is that what seems incredibly interesting on paper feels like a slog as a film.
Read the full reviewKaruppu Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, Karuppu is most compelling when man challenges God, not the other way around.
Read the full reviewIdhayam Murali Movie Review: Critics Rating: 3 stars, click to give your Rating/Review, The minor twists to the familiar beats bring enough freshness to make it work, especially as a pleas
Read the full reviewWhile the premise does have potential, the film that we get rarely lives up to it.
Read the full reviewBut Vijay holds it all together. The earnestness in his performance and the politically loaded lines ("50 varushama arasiyal pannitirukara kudumbam", "Motha Tamizhachigaloda aaseervaadhamum ennikum unga kooda irukkum") sort of…
Read the full reviewOne of DC's biggest strengths is the clarity of its writing. The screenplay doesn't merely move its narrative forward but does so with precision and intent.
Read the full reviewFor much of its running time, Meesaya Murukku 2 hardly feels compelling. The film's premise isn't as convincing or impactful because gana is pretty much mainstream music these days.
Read the full reviewImmortal plays out like a textbook of horror film templates with the blandest execution.
Read the full reviewA serviceable, but hardly nail-biting spy thriller
Read the full reviewAditi Shankar enlivens a 'once more' romance that turns 'not again' midway
Read the full reviewDorothy is Karthik Subbaraj's most ambitious film so far and also his most focussed.
Read the full reviewEven for a debut effort, the film comes across as just a standard issue crime thriller that has the elements that we find in films of this genre but without strong writing that is needed to bring them all together in a…
Read the full reviewIt is in the second half, that things turn serious, bloody and somewhat less impactful to what the first half promised.
Read the full reviewWith Baththa, Balaji Tharaneetharan once again proves himself one of the most distinctive voices in Tamil cinema today.
Read the full review