Unnaipol Oruvan

UPO is a well made movie in all aspects. It was very nice to see the two big stars cum actors of India, Kamal & Mohanlal share the screen. Kamal is so good in the last few scenes of the movie and Mohanlal has done his part with ease. Enjoyable movie with strong message. I feel that with big stars, message can reach broader audience and Kamal has exactly done that with the movie.

Dialogues and background score of the movie really need a mention. Era.Murukan as a dialogue writer and Shruthi Haasan as music director and both being a debutant have done a good job.

It's tough to cope with the expectations set and no one would dare to remake such a critically acclaimed movie like 'A Wednesday', only Kamal will. Hats off!

Not all remakes can aspire to reach the heights of 'The Departed'. So they should never be attempted. Kamal has always been fond of re-interpreting successful Hindi movie works. In my opinion, Kuruthipoonal was the one that was done the best, though it didn't get full marks for subtlety. This one, however, scores high on subtlety, esp. considering both the lead performances. I was only disappointed that they did not try to re-invent the movie, but just chose to make an almost exact replica. However, for those that did not watch A Wednesday, since it was more of a multiplex success, this is a good opportunity to sample something different from the run-of-the-mill fare (though Tamil cinema of late has fewer of those than Telugu, which is still ruled by the grandiose 'seema' style of movie plotting, or the 'Bommarrillu' fare).

Its a daring move by Kamalhassan. We all have seen The Wednesday so would know the storyline. To reproduce the story to the taste and likes of another set of audience at the box office is a tough task. All the characters, be it Kamal or Mohanlalthe support crew have given their best effort to make the movie the life. Only Kamalhassan has been dare enough to give such movies and he has proved his worth. Introdcing Shruthi to the audience under the home banner is a real good effort and she has excelled in her share. Altogether UPO is a must watch and will remain the minds of the people forever. Ulaga Naayaganey ... Nee Vaalga Pallandu

Amazing acting for starters. For once I think they've reached almost international standards, the tension was awesome, there weren't any songs (the usual in Tamil movies) which was a pleasant surprise. Amazing acting again and the English when used (esp by Kamal) sounded like English for a change. India was portrayed well for a change as well, no rogues at every corner, well-dressed and neat police officers (and yes they were the good guys for a change). The places were clean, the shots were realistic and it was a good movie even in International standards. Even the Tamil was well spoken. I would recommend this to those who are learning Tamil, entertaining and good language used and as an example to future Tamil Film Makers. Make films like these and you'll attract the young, professional (non rowdy) crowd.

P.S. Kamal should consider starring in some Hollywood Blockbusters! Awesome Actor, the best the Tamil Film Industry has had by far. I would have given it a 7 had it been an English movie though. 8 Stars and well deserved (it being a tamil movie and because it definitely took a lot of breaking out of the box).

Kamal Hassan's Chakri-Toleti directed Unnaipol Oruvan is new age Tamil cinema, which we can say proudly, is a must-watch. What elevates the film to a new high is the crisp presentation and outstanding performances from the lead actors, mainly Kamal and Mohanlal, who simply rock. The film is on par with the original Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday, with minor modifications to make it politically correct by including a Hindu mercenary, a gun runner for whom it is just about money.

The dialogues written by Era Murugan are electrifying and justifies the milieu change from the terror-prone Mumbai to much calmer climes of Chennai.

Kamal Hassan and his team have also pointed to the Coimbatore bomb blast and Meenambakkam airport blast to give the film a local flavour. And to add his own secularist view point, one of the Muslim characters justifies his action and says it is all because of Modi and communal politics which led to the Best Bakery case. The film is well intended and is told in an emphatic manner very bravely.

One ordinary day, the Chennai city police commissioner Raghava Maraar (Mohanlal) receives a threatening call on his mobile from a guy (Kamal Hassan), who claims that he has placed five bombs in various parts of the city. The veracity of the caller's claim is confirmed when the cops find a bag with a RDX bomb at the Anna Salai police station.

The anonymous caller wants five hard core terrorists to be freed -- If not, he threatens blasts at various locations in Chennai where he has concealed the bombs. The chief secretary (Lakshmi) on the orders of Chief Minister has given a Maraar a free hand.

Maraar and his crack team of officers, led by a daring brooding cop Arif Khan (Ganesh Venkatram), gets ready to hand over the terrorists to the anonymous caller at an airfield. The story cannot be told further as it would be a giveaway of the stunning and well written climax, which had the entire audiences in the theatre giving a standing ovation at the end. It is a very brave and pathbreaking film, with a running time of only 110 minutes.

The film works because of its ensemble cast and the outstanding performances of Mohanlal and Kamal Hassan. Unlike in the Hindi version where Naseeruddin Shah had an edge over Anupam Kher, here the best dialogues in the film and almost equal screen time is given to Mohanlal.

Kamal's emotional outburst at the end, is heart rending and perhaps one of the finest piece of acting seen in Tamil cinema. Kamal and Mohanlal coming together is worth your ticket money. Ganesh Venkatram has a tailor-made role, and this film is going to be his big ticket to stardom.

Technically the film is picture perfect, with great background score by Sruthi Hassan, that builds the mood.

Chakri Toleti as a director cannot make a better debut as director in a film that will bring about a change in Tamil commercial cinema. Go for it and encourage good meaningful cinema.