Madrasapattinam

Well shot period piece with good acting and wonderful set pieces, worth a watch.

Period films have been sporadic in Tamil cinema for the past two decades and not many directors are daring enough to give a fling at such genres. But the young director Vijay breaks the mould and comes up with an artistic portrayal of pre-independence Madras. In fact, he succeeds in his attempt with utmost ease.

The plot of "Madarasapattanam" is quite simple. It deals with the romance between a brawny Madarasi wrestler and an aristocratic English belle at a time when the Freedom Movement was at its pinnacle. Arya, as the young wrestler (Parithi) is impeccable. His penchant for offbeat roles is evident from his choice of movies. Amy Jackson, as the royal damsel (Amy) allures you with her innocent and snowy charm. The way she has acclimatized to the Indian pattern of film making is quite amazing. Kochi Haneefa, who plays Amy's interpreter, manages to tickle you in his typical style. All the actors including Nasser (Parithi's father), M.S.Bhaskar, RJ Balaji (tourist guide), Jeeva (of Lollu Sabha fame), Kumaravel (taxi-driver) and the actors who play Parithi's friends make their presence felt.

The narration smoothly swaps between the modern day Chennai and the 1940's Madras. Thanks to some crisp editing by Antony. Cinematographer Nirav Shah guides us through a virtual tour through the streets of vintage Madras. It is fascinating to see the Madras of the yore adorned by trams, bullock-carts, the crystal-clear Cooum, the dhobi ghats of Washermanpet, and a busy Buckingham Canal! Art Director Selva has to be commended for recreating the yesteryear Spencer's and the Central Station. But at times the back-drops seem to be like wallpapers, which could have been avoided. G.V.Prakash Kumar seems to have inherited a lot from his uncle (A.R.Rahman) which is very much evident in his "Pookal Pookum" number. And his background score blends well with the period flavour of the movie. Vijay's dialogues are note-worthy.

Traces of "Lagaan" and "Titanic" can be felt here and there. Especially, the wrestling match between Parithi and the Englishman, and the aged Amy searching her love with the necklace ('thaali') reminds you of the yesteryear classics. Nevertheless, Vijay manages to trigger the spirit of Madras by showcasing the rich cultural and historical heritage of our city in this poignant love story. He leaves us yearning for the glorious Madras of the past.

A must-watch for all Chennaiites. Come, and cherish the vintage Madras.- Deepak Kumaar Manoharan.

Madrasapattinam is the good product of director Vijay. The director along with the art director & CG ppl has done a great work on recreating old madras which does not feel odd in any scene in the movie..

period movies are very rare in Tamil movie industry. The director & the producer has got the guts to take up a period movie genre to show the love story. yes..though the movie is set in pre-independence era, this has got nothing to do with the independence & freedom fights..its a pure love story..

Arya is at his best..U can believe that he is a wrestler in this movie..no six-packs syndrome.. :) he is good at delivering subtle comedy also..Heroine Amy emotes well in the screen..she looks gorgeous and suits her role good..

the next best thing in the movie is casting..Nasser, bala singh, MS baskar, Jeeva, Balaji and last but best haneefa..everybody done their part well..

This movie is more of a musical flick than love..Composer GV has done a great job in songs and RR..One can feel that this movie lacks dialogue and RR fills it most of the time..

Its a great meal to Nirav shah, the cinematographer of this movie..he has already proved himself with his great work in the movies like Sarvam, Oram po etc..He has done a fantastic job throughout the movie..

The art direction plays a major role in the movie..Madrasapattinam is not a fantasy..one could not cheat the audience by showing some imaginary places...every old place in chennai has got proof..and the art dept did not cheat us.. :) This is the only movie in which the audience were still at theater for the end credits..thanks to the old-new madras fotos..

Verdict : Good , big & rich attempt by Vijay..and a must watch movie..

This movie has everything to be enjoyed, especially wen i saw the movie for first time i was surprised to see that even Tamil cinema has the talent to make movies like this. The background scenes of old madras and costumes designing and many more things are outstanding in this movie. Its a great family entertainment and a movie which has to be really appreciated. This movie is just a new milestone in Tamil cinema. Amy Jackson steals the show with great performance of Arya. The movie has everything, patriotism, Romance, Comedy and of course Action- the wrestling. It gives you an essence of old madras and present Chennai in a very beautiful way. Well, this movie is something which will always have its impact for the movie lovers in Tamil cinema. Watch this movie without missing a single scene and this will be the best movie of the season.

No big speculation,no big cast,not a great technical crew,not an intelligent director..but the product is simply superb.It was delightful to see the movie Madharasapattinam, directed by Vijay. Its was Romance/History genre,for a change. The highlight of the movie are the stars Arya and Amy.The former came up and decent acting..and the other had a delightful smile and looks which you won't forget for a week.... The other important aspect of the movie was the music by G.V.Prakash..Both the Bgm and songs was tremendous..Pookal Pookum and Kaatrile was awesome number...... The dialogues of the movie was also quite good,like "400 Varusathukapram Thirupi Adikirom!"-MS.Bhaskar..the comedies was also good and came with the track of the movie... The disappointing factor is the impacts of the moovie Titanic in it.The Question is are we guys gone out of brains to have some originality in our movies!!! Otherwise its good movie to watch,and i highly recommend to watch it on screens,especially for GV and Amy!!!