Vasanthabalans films consistently explore political themes, addressing caste, class, or societal issues. In his latest work, 'Thalaimai Seyalagam', Vasanthabalan delves into the core of politics, presenting a narrative about feudalism and the rise of Naxalism as a counterforce. Spanning eight episodes with three interwoven storylines, the series takes viewers across India, ultimately linking all threads to a single individual. 'Thalaimai Seyalagam' is a political thriller with a whodunnit elemen

'Inga Naan Thaan Kingu' begins with a prologue detailing terrorist serial bombings. Then the film introduces us to Santhanams Vetrivel and his wacky attempts to get married. And then new characters barge into the frame and the whole affair turns into slapstick comedy. And before you catch a break, the film pulls the carrying-the-dead-body comedy trope and drags you along with the corpse for the remainder of the story. Such a cornucopia of randomness might work well for the kind of chaotic energy

It wont be an overstatement to believe that the protagonist of 'Election', Natarasan is the grown-up version of Kumaresan, the boy from director Thamizhs first film 'Seththumaan'. Kumaresan helplessly looks on as his grandfather dies due to a drunk duel between two caste Hindus, he does not understand what is going on. In 'Election', Kumaresans confusion is verbalized by Natarasan, when he says, I dont understand what is this politics about, in more than one instance in the film. Natarasans fath

'The Garfield Movie' is a harmless, enjoyable ride. It is almost nostalgic for how it is reminiscent of the feeling we experienced when we watched television cartoons in the evening after school. We would be amused by the wacky adventures and goofy humour of these animated characters, so engrossed that we still wouldnt have changed out of our school uniforms. On such occasions, the adults who pass by might take a gander at the screen and find themselves chuckling, forgetting the broad notion tha

Marriage dramedies are not new to Telugu cinema, but these films often come embedded with a moral code in the guise of old-school fables that emphasise the conservatism and sanctity required of marriage. It is important for these films to be guided by a definitive voice that proclaims a happy ending when content with the protagonists method of finding resolution. So when 'Vidya Vasula Aham' begins with the Vishnu and Lakshmi deities deciding to take stock of the world below and have a look at th

Switch { case n: Director: Chethan Shetty Cast: Vijay Lalitha Surya, Shwetha Vijaykumar, Prithvi Raj, Vijay Siddaraj, and Karthik Vaibhav Rating: 2.5/5 As its title itself implies, debutant director Chethan Shettys 'Switch { case n': is a film steeped in coding references that interestingly and cleverly merges software coding concepts with cinematic storytelling, making it particularly appealing to those fluent in languages such as C++ and Javascript. That being said, director Chethan, who himse

After a short prologue, Sureshanteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hrudayahariyaya Pranayakadha (SSHP) opens with a sequence involving the natural death of an elderly woman, which ultimately makes way for one of the films titular protagonists, Sureshan, to return to his roots. Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduvals quintessential quirkiness in presenting satire is on full display here, with the dead womans family feeling anything but grief. Interestingly, this is quite reminiscent of how the directors debut film, A