The Hindu
Reviewing since 2019 · Last review Dec 2022
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0 scored reviews · 0–10
Srivatsan rarely scores films: 0 of 11 reviews carry a score.
From the archive
Gatta Kusthi, when it speaks to the former category, is quite enjoyable despite normalising a few dangerous ideas and traditions. But when it switches into the 'Singappeney' zone, it becomes a boring lecture. The last quarter doesn't come together; Veera and Keerthi decide to fight it out in the ring. Whatever little pleasure we enjoyed so far begins to peter out.
Full review ↗TRM 6.3
Love Today, written and aimed at young adults and college cohorts, is mostly entertaining and achieves what it sets out to, even at the cost of flab in writing and plain performances. When it gets going, that is in the first half, Love Today is quite fun to watch and is backed by Yuvan Shankar Raja's energetic score.
Full review ↗TRM 6.4
Sardar's problem is this: Bose's betrayal should have been so brutal that it ideally should have translated on us. Instead, when we are presented with what actually happened to Bose, it comes across as too convenient. We feel betrayed in the other sense. To put in the film's lingo, calling Sardar a fulfilling movie would be a 'convenient lie'. But calling it an interesting film that needed more clarity would be an 'uncomfortable truth'.
Full review ↗TRM 5.6
This is a film that has a charming innocence at its core. Mithran R Jawahar puts a delightful spin on the Velai Illa Pattadhari template, and Thiruchitrambalam is one of those rare rom-coms that maintains an even tone throughout its duration, full of life and brims with laughter.
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
'Viruman' starring Karthi and Aditi Shankar is definitely an upgrade from Muthaiya's previous films. At best, it is watchable and to some extent, it is enjoyable. Something about this film demands your attention and that is Karthi.
Full review ↗TRM 4.6
The new 'Vikram' disappoints the fans of the 1986 original and could have been a standalone film with Fahadh Faasil carrying on the legacy of the agent like in the James Bond films. What felt organic and thrilling in Kaithi, feels weak and forced in Vikram. As fans of the original film and Kamal Haasan, you feel let down.
Full review ↗TRM 6.5
K.G.F: Chapter 2 is a delirious cinematic experience that works only if you partake in its madness, though it suffers from leanness in writing, tiring narration, and a near-complete absence of effective women characters. While Prashanth Neel's marriage of Hollywood motifs with masala flourishes remains powerful, the film repeats all the flat and derivative problems of the first part without offering anything substantially new.
Full review ↗TRM 5.5
Valimai's stunt scenes are stunning and H Vinoth is truly a remarkable talent, but the film is bogged down by narrative hiccups with atrociously-written sentimental scenes and it is yet another Ajith Kumar-starrer where style supersedes substance. Valimai could have been that racy, out-and-out action film we have seen in a long time, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
Full review ↗TRM 4.8
Jai Bhim is perhaps one of the boldest films to come out of Tamil cinema. The politics here is not watered down; it is direct and takes an incisive look. It doesn't punch down, but up.
Full review ↗TRM 6.8
Ayyappanum Koshiyum makes an interesting analogy on what constitutes a real 'man' in the first place and demonstrates the malaise of male pride. The central characters, Ayyappan and Koshi, are in a constant state of fear of being tested for their masculinity, especially when their egos get bruised.
Full review ↗TRM 5.9
Game Over is a unique, ambitious, unsettling film that is a marvellous achievement in the psychological horror genre
Full review ↗TRM 6.0
