Puli

I don't understand why people have lots of flaws to find all the time. N most importantly don't compare this movie with the so called Magnum Opus 'Baahubali' which also had flaws. I agree with the fact that background was bad. For an Indian movie this sort of graphics is enough to satisfy everyone's expectation. Talking about an actor and his capabilities is something very stupid of you people who is already been in this field for 23 years and still successful. Overall this movie is to be appreciated on all aspects who all are not a fan of Hollywood would definitely love it. It is a total family entertainer and for kids they will definitely start liking Vijay after this movie.

Chimbudevan is a film maker who have experimented well through path untraversed in Tollywood,may it be his debut movie 'Imsai Arasan 23aam Pulikesi' or the Raghava Lawrence starrer cowboy comedy 'Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam' which were interesting and well-received attempts by both the critics and the common audience .But sadly,the skillfulness of Chimbudevan in handling fantasy adventures is missing in Puli and the most anticipated Tollyood film of 2015 ended as a forgettable affair,being an epitome of mediocre film-making from all the departments.

10 minutes into the film one can easily perceive the half-heartedness from the team and the helpless fate of a movie which is bound to land in a mud-pool of boredom and over-confidence from where a recovery is literally impossible.With a lifeless screenplay and indifferent narration,Puli never tries to indulge the viewers into the story or excite them with something novel,but instead follows the usual clichés of a hero-oriented tamil film,the stereotyped hero,his fight with the evil,obligatory heroine number one,the unavoidable heroine number two etc to name a few.

The storyline has blatant similarities with films like Baahubali & Kochadayaan and ironically some of the instances like the Lilliputian population reminded me of films by Malayalam director Vinayan whom I felt handled it with better grip and perfection,noticeably on a shoe-string budget in comparison with this big budget blunder.

A watchable second half saved the movie from being a total washout,but the end result is still lame.By the time the movie showed some improvement it was too late to look back.The romance track between Shruti and Vijay was amateurish and the most tiring part of the narration.Action Choreography and Cinematography were impressive whereas the Vfx,Art Direction and Editing were substandard.

Coming to the performances,Ilaiya Dalapathy disappointed big time after a brilliant performance in 'Katthi'.Overacting was evident in his performance throughout the narration and his dubbing part looked unfit in countable number of sequences.Shruti Hassan & Hansika had nothing to perform than boosting the glamour quotient with their skin show.

When was the last time DSP scored something memorable is a big question and the so called 'Rockstar Of South India' disappoints again with his tiring repetitive rythms which are made worse by awkward placing in the storyline.'Yendi Yendi; is the only hummable number which has been sang well by Shruti and Vijay.

Overall,Ilaiya Dalapthi's Puli is a lavishly made blooper that's sure to be panned by critics,the diehards of the actor and the normal mass audience alike.

I would just like to highlight few pros and cons and then finally ending up with my conclusion.

Pros: Boldness to make a fantasy film. VFX Vijay Cineamtography Art Direction

Cons: Screenplay Music Wasted the cast's potential

Opinion:

It is a fantasy film and they mentioned that it is a "Family entertainer". Let's say they tried doing a Disney- style film which didn't excel, but common it is a good attempt and encouraging these kinds of movies is something that I would love to. Now let me share my opinion.

Simbudevan tried giving a family entertainer with a unique movie genre that South Indian Industry is afraid to venture into. Also, I believe that he wanted to direct the overall story a simple one. But, the problem arises when the other small stories come into play where the main story of the movie gets saturated. however, if that's the case and he wanted to direct a typical commercial film, then the movie would have become a fantasy story tailored only for Vijay and it would have been a typical "Commercial" movie with just the word fantasy added in front.

No way I am telling this movie is Awesome. If people want a "Solid Mass commercial packed action fantasy drama film", then there is good chance for them to get disappointed. But, if people look this as enjoyable fantasy film that they would love to watch and appreciate or want too enjoy this with their family, then do give it a try.

I do support and like this movie, but, my request to Simbudevan is that that we need these kinds of movies and when you are planning to direct in this genre, please make a unique story coz we are known for fantasies and we can definitely make a "World Class Movie". And director like you, it is definitely possible.

So basically, I Liked it very much but not Loved it for sure. Even when I tried watching it 'open- minded', it did not get me intrigued enough throughout the movie. All I can say is go with an open mind and you will like it. I would also like to appreciate the entire Puli team to give us this genre of Tamil movie after a long time.

Conclusion:

Overall----> To put in a nutshell, a journey(Movie) which was supposed to be amazing got tiring a bit due to many diversions(Screenplay) in the forest. Puli's roar is not majestic enough, but, it did try really hard.

I expected a minimum level of entertainment when I decided to watch the show in the first day itself. Also the campaigns for the promotion of the movie added much weight to the expectations, which always highlighted the big names casted in the film.

Yes! The thread had a lot of potential. Even though it was a centuries old storyline in the fantasy genre. A hero, going on a hunt to retrieve his love from a scary castle. A lot of hurdles on the way, lot of fantasy creatures, and never seen before places to pass through.... There was more than enough room for an Adventure, action packed visual treat in the given plot. Even with this familiar fantasy thread, the movie could have been made a memorable one, with a strong screenplay and some advanced cinematography and editing. Even the background scores and the songs were well below the average, which made it painful for the audience.

Starting 3-4 scenes, had somewhere some resemblance with bahubali. I am not complaining, but this is what i felt. Again, the camera didn't seem to use any kind of tints to create a feel of ancient days. Video as well as the audio department failed pathetically in taking the audience to another world. Even switching between scenes was not fluidic. The frames which displays the title for the first time and the introduction scene of the hero were at wrong timings, and couldn't generate any punch. The nicely trimmed hair of hero again added artificiality in the age in which the story happens. The costumes and make-up was not that bad , but lack of that colored tint in the scenes revealed that the materials were all modern.

In many occasions, we could feel the resemblance with many famous fantasy movies, and it was expected. The castle area appeared to have been adapted from the prince of Persia video game, and some monsters, weapons, and some fight sequences adds strength to that belief. Any one who have played that game(warrior within) would have come across the same feelings when he watch this movie. This opinion is just my own feelings and i don't want to argue about this.

Anyway, there were some occasions, or moments which gives the idea that direcion was not completely dry. And in many scenes VFX could show its potential too. Graphics was strong, but couldn't make its use to the best extent. Writer had good idea and good level of imagination and failed badly in the execution part. With this much amount of money and a proved set of actors, the movie fell miles short of a masterpiece.

Somewhat OK movie,can be a good one for Vijay fans but definitely not for others,visuals are fine but not PTO Baahubali' s level,same old story with very few unpredictable moments but very average time- passer,but a new try in Fantasy genre but certainly over-hyped.VJ,Sridevi,Sudeep,Shruti,Prabhu impress. Does not seem to justify its budget.Chimbudevan deserves an applause for trying to do something new but this movie definitely does not satisfy expectations.But certainly a new tryout for VJ also.His dance moves were better than the movie itself.A lazily told big budget fantasy action adventure that does not pack a punch.