Chandramukhi

SuperStar is back and this time in a new role as a psychiatrist! The plot of Chandramukhi revolves around mysterious events that taunt a family (Prabhu & co.) that recently bought a bungalow believed to be occupied 150 years ago by one Vettiya Maharaja. The plot keeps the viewers guessing as to what/who is the cause behind all these mysteries. SuperStar Rajini as "Saravanan" and a Ramachandra Swami use their own ways to help the family resolve the mysteries of Chandramukhi. The cast comprises of Prabhu (sivaji film productions), Jyothika, Naser, VijayaKumar, Vadivelu and newcomer Nayanthara?!. P.Vasu has failed to use any of the cast effectively - but has focused on keeping usual Rajini gimmicks to a minimum. Rajini/jyothika's performances can pull this movie to a success. Given Manichitarathalz the Malayalam version featuring Mohan Lal was a mega hit, the director P.Vasu could have done better. Vidyasagar's music was a pleasant surprise. At least 4 out of the 6 songs are pleasing to the ears, with the climax song "Raa Raa" scored beautifully in Ragaa sudhadhanyasi with Telugu lyrics being the best. Rajini's reduced gimmicks and demeanor seem to give his fans the impression he is turning a corner in his long movie career. Almost forgot to mention the "entry" scene where Rajini makes his fans scream with his stunt sequence - one of the better entries from the master lately. Rajini has 2 stunt scenes in the movie to please the younger audience. If the movie needs a PG-13 rating its because of the vulgar comedy track and Jyothika's facial expressions!

When the movie hit the screens, Rajnikant himself was not sure if it will become a hit. By any standards, this was something unusual. Rajni's movies - even if they are crap - usually runs for 100 days. There was a reason why everone was so anxious about this movie. 1. Rajni's earlier movie, BABA, was a FLOP. (Though i loved it.) 2. This was a remake of the Malayalam hit movie, Manichitrathazh. 3. This did not have any of Rajni's stunts. (that which generally portrays him as a demi God with supernatural fight scenes and punch dialogues)

Honestly, it was exciting to see Rajinikanth showing his acting talents in a controlled manner. His screen presence was simply amazing.

Rajnikanth as Vettaya Maharaja - This alone gives you a feeling of the money well spent. (Laka Laka sequence)

I am not giving 10 for this because of vulgarity in Vadivelu's comedy.

I haven't watched many Tamil movies, but I found that Chandramukhi was one of the best yet I watched. It has got everything you can have in a movie: humor, horror, thrill,romance, action, music, etc. The songs are REALLY good in this movie. I would definitely recommend buying the soundtrack of Chandramukhi. There's even one song in Telugu. Overall, I liked this movie a lot. Of course it had Rajnikanth in it, which brought quite a lot more appeal to it. There are good fight scenes with attempts of the "Matrix" effect, which is pretty cool. In the Telugu dub of this movie, one of the songs is sung by Carnatic Diva, Nityasree Mahadevan. What more could one ask for? It is a great movie, and I think everyone should see it. It might be a bit scary for young children, but it should be suitable for older ones. Conclusively, Chandramukhi is a great watch, and with stars like Rajnikanth and Jyothika, it is a big success!!

Good Movie, but it lacks the reality in the Malayalam Original "Manichitrathazhu". Mohanlal's acting deserves special credibility. Rajni manages without his cigars very well.

The lighting effects prove stupendous & innovative. Foot tapping numbers by Vidyasagar. But the dry & double meaning comedy lets the film down.

One question, Why is the Huge Python creeping there for in there for? the creepy house sequences are well done. Jyothika is the star performer here, she did very well in the dancing sequences & in the face reactions. But i think Ramya Krishnan would be a better choice for the role of Ganga.

Overall good one & worth the money.

Movie starts with typical superstar action sequences and flows through interestingly till the end. For audience not aware of movies original version in Malayalam it will be a nice thriller, very unnatural for a Rajini movie.

Rajini has done a great job in mixing all elements. Vadivelu role is commendable. Even though Jyotika has done a reasonable job, her overacting was evident in some scenes. P.Vasu did okay by not screwing up Fazil's work in "Manichitrathalu".

In summary hardcore fans might be disappointed by not hearing any punch lines but nice pace keeps the movie rolling. It's sure to get a lot of appreciation from varied group of audience.