Arjun Menon

in Rediff

Arjun Menon of Rediff.com rated it 3.5/5 stars and observed that "Kantara: A Legend Chapter-1 is an ambitious, bold update of the ideas of the first film on a much bigger canvas."

in Rediff

Odela 2 is interested in the subtle pleasures of horror filmmaking but invests in being a loud, categorically low-stakes CGI showreel. There are multiple set pieces featuring VFX shots that are staged with little to no emotional impact. The dialogue exchanges and visual back and forth lack the visceral thrills of overwrought, sleazy ideas and the pulpy potential of the ghost story. The film tries too hard to look bigger in scope and impact but has little to no material to back up the superficial treatment. The attempts at discussing spiritual ideas and exploring the concept of 'God' is underwritten. Ashok Teja keeps things moving quickly but the nonexistent beating heart of the whole film keeps it largely unimpactful.

in Rediff

Thandel, the latest from commercial genre specialist Chandoo Mondeti, is too caught up in the machinations of larger-than-life implications, as opposed to fleeting emotional beats at the heart of the story. The film is clearly a reworking of the core idea of Mani Ratnam's classic Roja (1992), where a woman struggled against the system to free her captive husband in a foreign land. But Thandel is too broad an exercise to have any of the emotional finesse or humanistic impulse of Roja. Thandel is as mainstream as it gets, preferring visceral thrills over legitimate drama. Naga Chaitanya tries his luck after a recent rough batch of flops, collaborating again with Geetha Arts, the production house that gave him the blockbuster 100% Love (2011). Thandel is a film in a constant state of identity crisis, trying to be bigger and dramatically ambitious, with middling results.

in Rediff

Thudarum is a masterpiece for adults, a serious yet self-aware piece of cinema that has something for everybody

in Rediff

Aavesham is laugh-out-loud funny at moments and becomes a moving exploration of an off-the-rails gangster, whose restraint in committing violence himself comes with a nicely etched-out backstory.

in Rediff

Arjun Menon of Rediff.com rated 3.5/5 stars and observed, "Guruvayoorambala Nadayil is a no-holds-barred, silly comedy that will keep you glued to the screen even when the going gets tough towards the end but the smile on your face will not leave."

in Rediff

At the end of the day, Maharaja feels like a whole picture derived from the many accumulated images, details and reckonings that are tied together by an unexpected final revelation. The brutality of the images and character motivations is balanced by the distancing tone that does not indulges in excessive drama, except for some parts. Maharaja is a surprisingly novel outing, rejuvenating the tired tropes of revenge films with a morally challenging revelation in the final hour, that compensates for the little contrivances in the writing. Nithilan Swaminathan comes up with an impressionistic image in the final shot of the film, where footsteps and drops of blood are used to draw out the fatal tragedy that has befallen one of the characters. That image soars above anything seen in Tamil cinema in recent times.

in Film Companion

Arjun Menon of Film Companion wrote that, "However, the execution feels far-fetched and overdrawn and this affects any sense of engagement with the film's flawed yet fascinatingly interwoven political vision".

in Rediff

Arjun Menon of Rediff gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Manjummel Boys gets so many things right that the small nitpicks don't amount to much in the larger picture".

in Rediff

Everything is simplistic and the screenplay is in a hurry to get across its thesis statement of art being not merely a projection but a way of life, coupled with some seething commentary on the standards of celebrity culture and stardom. All these ideas work well on paper but when the protagonist loses his sense of agency to a quick PowerPoint presentation in the second half, the film feels rushed. Tovino Thomas is splendid as the sensitive yet brash superstar, whose arrogance is only matched by his ability to belittle himself and others through childlike outbursts. The film is held in its centre by the star who lends inner complexities and some sense of agency in the hero's arc, who is treated like a buffoon unaware of his own issues.

in Rediff

The film tip-toes its way around vague, chest thumping and silly writing in places but somehow manages to engage without beating you over the head with cliches, like other films aiming to deliver a similar experience.

in Rediff

Arjun Menon of Rediff.com rated it 2/5 stars and observed, "There is only so much that Vijay Deverakonda is allowed to work on from a clueless script that bounces from one wrong choice to another."

in Film Companion

Arjun Menon of the Film Companion wrote, "Aadujeevitham is a brisk, relentless exercise in storytelling that is anchored by Prithviraj Sukumaean's career best performance and Blessy's inspired vision.

in Rediff

Arjun Menon of Rediff.com rated 4/5 stars and noted, "Aadujeevitham marks a new direction for Malayalam cinema, where ambition meets resources and the right people, all in favour of stories that deserve to be told on the biggest stage of them all."