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By Henry McKeand

It's been twenty years since the release of “Anbe Sivam,” the ambitious collaboration between director Sundar C and writer/star Kamal Haasan that became an enduring cult classic of Tamil cinema. At the time, it must have seemed an unlikely pairing. The latter's script for the film was deeply rooted in themes of class struggle and philosophy, while the former was known for his work in more commercial fare. At first, it wasn't clear if such a partnership would be successful. It was released in January of 2003 to rave reviews from critics but it underperformed at the box office. However, it gained a loyal following after home video releases and television re-runs allowed audiences to discover its potent blend of comedy and humanism. Now, it is regarded as one of the greatest Tamil films of the 21st century.

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EntertainmentTo get some clarity on this, we need to wait for a word from the actor herself.Digital NativeDigital NativeThere is some confusion over Trisha’s inclusion in the much-hyped cop thriller Saamy Square. The actor had shared the screen space with Vikram in the 2003 hit movie Saamy and Saamy Square is the sequel to it. Director Hari had announced earlier that both Trisha as well as Keerthy Suresh will be sharing the screen space with Vikram in the sequel but Trisha had tweeted that she opted out of the project citing creative differences with the team. However, the director, in a recent interaction with the press stated that Trisha is back in the project and she will be joining the sets soon. He went on to add that the film will have five songs, four action blocks and two chase sequences. While the director has confirmed that Trisha is very much onboard, the actor’s mother Uma reportedly told a media house that no one from the Saamy Square team had approached them in this regard and she is not aware of Trisha agreeing to rejoin the sets. Well, to get some clarity on this, we need to wait for a word from the actor herself. Produced by Shibu Thameens under his banner Thameens Films, the movie has Vikram, Keerthy Suresh, Prabhu Ganesan and Bobby Simha in the star cast. Others in the supporting roles include John Vijay, Oak Sundar, Imman Annachi and Uma Riyaz Khan. Devi Sri Prasad is scoring the music for Saamy Square with A Venkatesh wielding the camera. The cinematographer was replaced after the untimely death of cameraman Priyan a couple of months ago, it may be mentioned. Vt Vijayan is editing the film. Saamy, released in 2003 with Vikram and Trisha in the lead roles, was a blockbuster hit.

Film: "Biriyani"; Cast: Karthi, Premgi Amaren, Hansika Motwani, Naseer, Sampath Raj, Jayaprakash, Uma Riyaz Khan, Subbu Panchu, Mandy Takhar, Ramki and Vijayalakshmi; Director: Venkat Prabhu; Rating: **1/2

A sumptuous Biriyani may not always be filling because at times it's too starchy to be digested. This is applicable to Venkat Prabhu's "Biriyani", which despite being fairly satisfying is not excellent because it gets too starchy due to unwanted ingredients. While the use of situational comedy works to some extent but what we see in some scenes is not humorous but downright awful and the double entendres directed at women are uncalled for.

I liked the previous works of the director because they didn't make you cringe.

Film: "Maryan"; Cast: Dhanush, Parvathy Menon, Uma Riyaz Khan, Appukutty, Salim Kumar and Jagan; Director: Bharatbala; Rating: ***

It is believed that love has the power to move mountains. But, would you believe if I tell you love has the power to make someone escape from his captors in Sudan, and run for his life in the scorching heat of African desert, because he wants to reunite with his lover waiting for him in a small town called Neerkodi?

Answer is yes. "Maryan", a simple story of love, makes us realise its power in the most visually extravagant way.

In realisation of love, there is always struggle, and to overcome it one needs strong will power. That's "Maryan" for you.

The literal translation.