Monday 6 June 2011

Vaanam

2011 by Krish

I learnt a lesson yesterday. It might be always better to look to find some information about a movie before attempting to watch. I had just watched Train and was disappointed and then thought, ok at least go for a no brainer movie and relax. So I just went in for Vaanam. I cannot believe how all this happen on the same day. I watched Train, and was thinking, Jayaraj should have watched Vedam, may be. The movie starts with a song and then there is a scene and I was like perplexed, what the hell is this, isnt this a scene from a movie I watched not long ago, even the actress, Anushka, is the same. And in a minute I realised, this movie Vaanam is a remake of the Telugu movie Vedam, and what its done by the same director too. And except for a few characters, even the actors are the same mostly, in both version.

Some characters from different walks of life ends up in a hospital,which is being targeted by a terrorist group.

I was cursing my selves like anything. I had watched Vedam, yes in the same theatre sometime in 2010, and was actually thinking about Vedam, when I was looking at Train unfolded painstakingly on the screen. I thought in Vedam, the characters were better and all their life leading to the hospital was much much more authentic than in Train. So the movie was still good in my memory and this happens to me. A really bad day, especially because I thought the Telugu version looked better.

What a day. 

Anyways, Vaanam, is still a much better watch than Train. 




The Train

2011 by Jairaj

It is beyond any explanations that directors who proved their mettle in the last two decades are climbing down their career graphs in Malayalam cinema. This is true for almost all the Malayalam veteran directors. Jayaraj, a proven director, recently came up with a nice movie, could have been even more beautiful if he had not tried with some horrible songs and comic scenes, in Loud Speaker and gave some hope that there is still hope with some veterans. That movie, though it took (not sure if this was intended) the age old theme of Zorba the Greek, people from two ends of life finding friendship, but did have some nice moments and was a kind of refresher. His new movie, The Train, immediately got widespread negative reviews and  I was sure to not watch.  But then a cousin of mine pulled me in.

Life unfolding for few characters in the city of Mumbai, before they lost it in the serial bomb blasts of July 2006. 

Last year, there was a telegu movie, Vedam, which was dubbed as Killadi in Malayalam. Since the star cast included Allu Arjun, the young charming star most people expected it to be a no brainer in the entertainment category, but it was a pretty decent film on some terrorists taking a hospital, where again different characters from many walks of life are affected. No doubt the stars fans were disappointed. I wish, at least Jayaraj had watched that movie, before he went about making his own Train.

Train fails miserably, because of its terrible script and the soul less characters in it. Except for a couple of scenes and minutes, the film is really disappointing.

How can a director who made movies like Vidyarambham, Kaliyaattam and Makalkku not realise the emptiness in this script.