Thalaivar Thambi Thalaimaiyil

Jeeva, a politician had to deal with funeral and a wedding at the same date and time. How did he manage the situation and the incidents leading?. Watch this light-hearted entertainer to know.

Nitish Sahadev starts the movie with the protagonist dealing with mad man firing a building and solving his problem. That scene is not just place to show his communication and problem solving skills. We get to know it towards the end. Nitish then takes the viewers to the village and the different type of villagers. Initially, we are introduced to Ilavarasu, who is keen to see her daughter married. Also, there is this stubborn neighbor Mani, who has been searching for reasons to create problems with Ilavarasu. There is Jenson’s character of opposing politician who is looking for opportunity to dethrone Jeeva. In addition, we get to several others as well with pessimistic, gossipers, jealous and egoistic nature. Few people involve in both Funeral and wedding preparations. In a scene, few women switch their attire quickly to go from the wedding look to funeral one.

Writers tried to maintain mild humor (mainly situational) through out the movie. Though the premise is similar to Malayalam movie Janeman, this movie could achieve what Janeman couldn’t, mainly because of the strongly backed emotional backstory that drives the rivalry between 2 pivotal characters. Just like the protagonist, Nitish never takes the stand in the rivalry and just leaves it to the viewers. Writers know that they had enough characters to add fuel to the fire. So, they added subplot of the groom side gang from Kanyakumari. Their local slang was refreshing and added mild laugh moments as well. Just when we think like there isn’t much action happening, last 20 odd minutes open the door of chaos and and ends the movie satisfyingly with a relevant message.

Background score complemented the narrative style of maintaining the light-hearted ambience and staying away from dramatic zone. For instance: the scene towards the end when bride meets groom could have been an intensely emotional scene if the director added the drama element. In the absence of laugh riot moments, cuts helped the viewers in keeping the viewers engrossed in how the rivalry gets solved.

Jeeva puts up seasonal performance in portraying the dilemma, confusions and control anger of a politician. Jenson too was really authentic as the cunning opposition politician. Be it when he tricks the others for his ego or conveying the pain he suffers throughout his life, Thambi Ramaiyah is in his usual drama zone but here he makes the transition of the character really organic. Ilavaraasu was superb as the egoistic bride’s father.

Coming to the drawbacks, Surjith’s character intro was so massy that he could turn thins around. But je barely made much impact before the chaos. Writers could have used him better. Though it added relevance towards the end, one thing that Bride seemed like convenient writing and added just to extend the conflict. That could have been handled better.

No wonder this movie became Pongal blockbuster surpassing Parasakthi. Don’t expect laugh riot or LOL moments. This social satire is breezy, effective and enjoyable mainly because of the solid writing and subtle genuine emotions.

Watch link: Watch here

5 MOST UNDERRATED MOVIES BEFORE MOVING TO 2026

It’s that time to rewind 2025 before moving to 2026. I haven’t been that active in this space in the previous 11 months as my life took a pivotal deviation in this year. Still, regional movies continued to impress with its grounded and nuanced storytelling. Though I felt it a bit overrated, ‘Su from so’ dubbed version playing in a fully packed crowd is surely a welcome change. But it’s quite concerning that the trend of some of the big screen hit movies getting trolled after OTT release continues in 2025. The list contains Saiyaara, Dude (I enjoyed watching Dude) and even the blockbuster Lokah !. I really hope this situation changes and the genuine opinion sustains irrespective of the platform of the release.

In 2025, there were lot many movies that gave satisfactory feeling after watching. Few of them include Dragon, Ponman, Bison, Feminichi Fathima, Ronth etc…Apart from the ones I have written detailed review, here is the list of 5 quality movies that went unnoticed this year:

NB: Click the movie name to get the watch link, if it’s released on OTT. I haven’t got chance to watch few films (For example: Thadavu, Angammal, Sirai, Interrogation, Sabar Bonda, Jarann etc..) due to various reasons.

COURT STATE Vs A NOBODY: (TELUGU-NETFLIX):

Despite its predictable nature, this courtroom drama demands a watch to make us aware that law should be educated and updated to restrict the misuse of law by the people in power. What makes the movie compelling is the way the movie portrays the conflicts of the pivotal characters and the routes protagonist choose to crack the case.

STHAL: (MARATHI-ZEE5):

Sthal is a honest portrayal of the age-old arranged marriage customs from girl’s point of view. Starting from the role reversal of a usual matchmaking, this movie takes a dig at the hypocrisy of the female protagonist Savita’s male teacher and subtly takes the viewers through the hardships of Savita’s family and her realizations.

OUSEPPINTE OSIYATHU(MALAYALAM-PRIME VIDEO):

Though not 100% visually immersive experience, Ouseppinte osiyath is worth a watch for its meaty character detailing and a superb Dileesh pothen magic. I loved the gradual narrative tone shifts from character drama exploring the family dynamics to a gripping crime thriller. Apart from the minor lag before reaching the conclusion part, there aren’t major drawbacks such as to deny a big screen watch or getting praise after OTT release.

AANPAVAM POLLATHATHU (TAMIL -HOTSTAR):

AP got into my underrated list mainly because it earned more ‘shorts’ viewership (especially the courtroom monologue) than a full movie watch. Unlike some of the recent mostly discussed gender dramas, AP is a balanced take exploring the flaws and challenges faced by both partners in a relationship without bashing any specific category of people.

STOLEN (HINDI – PRIME VIDEO )

Stolen gets into the act with 2 men getting involved in an incident and slowly shifts the gear to thriller mode after they got trapped in a trouble. Though the treatment is unlike familiar edge-of-the-seat mode, the team succeeded in making the viewers invested on how the duo overcomes the dreadful situation.

Signing off expecting a better 2026 with regional cinema (Especially Kannada, Marathi) providing more fruitful watch experience.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026, FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!

Homebound

Chandan Kumar and Shoaib Ali are 2 friends who struggle to make their living better. In the process, covid hit them and turns their lives down. Homebound is all about how they tackle the testing times.

Neeraj Ghyawan takes the viewers to the rural world of the 2 pivotal characters and slowly makes the viewers understand them. He uses dialogues really well to highlight the intensity of various situations. For instance: ‘Reaching the exam hall itself is a task’ highlights the concern of unemployment. In another scene, Chandan’s sister says to him something like, ‘We never had a choice what to do. But you atleast have’. These create the required strong impact on the viewers. As the movie progresses, we get to see the light banter, rift and tight hugs between them. One of the them literally carries the other and gives the required support to the families. A long shot of them standing, cut to a different context is just brilliant subtle filmmaking.

What’s even more evident is the less vocal portrayal of caste discrimination. Be it Chandan getting humilated by an officer, Shoaib’s colleagues mocking him or chandan’s mother shouting in agony. There are various takeaway moments that stay with the viewers.

Neeraj made sure to eliminate overdrama, especially in scenes related to death. Special mention to the minimal usage of score. Cuts were pretty decent to make sure narration never skips more to romantic angle and stays within the limit.

It’s really tough to believe that the villian of Mardani 2 played the role of Chandan. Vishal jatwa carried the internal turmoil of Chandan really well. Ishan khatter excellently portrayed the building frustration in Shoaib. The way he desperately tried to be with Chandan towards the end will surely emote you for sure. Also, he managed to share a cool camaraderie with Chandan. Jhanvi kapoor gets limited scope and she puts up notable performance, especially when she conveys her values to Chandan. The moment Chandan’s mother burst out her supressed emotions over the years, shows the impact of the performance of Shalini Vatsa.

Homebound is a deeply moving friendship drama uplifted by raw and intense narration of casteism woven in a tale of survival.

Watch it on Netflix

Housemates

Karthik (Darshan) puts all his hard earned money to buy a house only to get trapped into a totally unexpected mystery which is pretty much impossible to solve.

The movie starts with the protagonist Karthik trying to impress the father of his love interest with the newly bought house. Writer gives an idea regarding how much hard work he had to put in to make the dream a reality. Slowly, movie shifts to horror genre. Though there isn’t much usage of highly supernatural elements, there is enough to maintain fear factor for the viewers and protagonist to try to solve the mystery in the most generic way. Kudos to the chilling background score and sound design for perfectly utilizing the limited space to successfully build an eerie atmosphere. After around 40 minutes, movie slips to humor zone and the involvement of the second family has been written and executed hilariously. What’s even exiting is the addition of a kind-of sci-fi element and the unique concept of Tesseract. Just like every horror movies, there is a melodramatic flashback and an incomplete wish on the movie as well. But those portions are so heartwarming.

Writer Rajavel made sure that the movie gave equal importance to the second family as well. Just like Karthik, Ramesh (Kaali Venkat) also had to suffer a lot to achieve the dream of own house. He also had to prove his worth to the world. Rajavel managed to highlight the similarities between the male characters in the 2 families. It was a was a smart idea to use match cuts in conveying the sci-fi portions to the 2 families. Power cut scene was just exceptional.

There was confusion regarding the way they communicate with each other: Someone taking directly and sometimes writing on the wall. Director and editor could have addressed such minor concerns.

Darshan wasn’t that effective in portraying the emotional side of Karthik, especially when he expresses the pain of his loss. Apart from that, he was fine with the act. Arsha baiju was nice as Anu. For instance: the way she expresses her panic in loneliness, try to convince Karthik for house change or creates bond with a child in the other family. Kaali Venkat was fantastic in both versions of Ramesh who carried trauma of past. Vinothini was really good as the emotionally charged and the vulnerable versions of Viji.

Verdict: Housemates is a unique and appreciable attempt of tweaking the usual horror comedy template with the backing of strong emotional layer and high level sci-fi. Kudos to Siva karthikeyan for backing the project.

Watch here: https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/house-mates/0-0-1z5822124

REWIND 2024: 5 UNDERRATED MOVIES OF 2024

2024 was a very eventful year for the Indian cinema industry. Unlike the previous years, there were a bunch of movies prioritizing pan-Indian big budget period dramas but most of them got trolled by the viewers in such a way that the makers won’t be thinking much about the sequels (as per the current trend). As usual, when the bigger scale movies lost steam, smaller movies took the spotlight and impressed the viewers. Malayalam cinema had a flourishing start followed by occasional masterclass movies. When Kannada cinema produced some hidden gems, there wasn’t much to say about Marathi movies. Here is my list of 5 most memorable movies to revisit ,before 2024 says ‘adieu’.

NB-1: Expand the movie title to read more

35 CHINNA KATHA KAADU (AHA – TELUGU)

When rush-of-blood kind of violence and big budget period drama reaches the audience more often, it’s tough to find a movie that caters more to the children. If this movie got released on a more popular OTT platform, more people would be talking about this beautifully narrated family drama. With subtle placement of characters, charming family moments and authentic performances, 35 Chinna Katha Kaadu overcomes the predictability and duration issues to an extent. So happy that it got selected to IFFI this year. Click the link to watch

MAIDAAN (PRIME – HINDI)

Maidaan is an inspirational story of an unsung hero who gave exceptional contributions to Indian football against all odds. Compared to the previously released sports biopics in Hindi ,the major factor that stands out in this movie is the way of portrayal of match portions, crucial phases of the protagonist Rahim and the way the director managed to create an immersive experience using raw emotions after the success.This movie demands a big screen watch. It’s disappointing that the number of screens were very less when it got released. (Maybe because of the overflow of sports biographies). Click to watch

KOTTUKAALI ( PRIME – TAMIL)

Kottukkaali is a brilliant road movie narrated mostly from the titular character’s POV, that uses the director’s craft to show a lady’s adamant nature to stick with her decision and fight for her justice. Vinoth Raj’s usage of long static shots and open climax may have mixed opinions from the viewers. Soori’s raw performance and Vinoth’s prowess in capturing the true essence of village without relying much on background score, will fulfil the expectations of viewers who know his range. It’s literally ‘not every one’s cup of tea’ but surely movies of this quality deserve more viewers on the big screen. Click to watch

MEIYAZHAGAN (NETFLIX -TAMIL)

There can be instances where we got to interact with someone who knows us well but we don’t even know their name. This movie will surely be a moving experience for viewers who relate to the core synopsis. Few moments will make you smile and at times emotional. You can’t help but love interacting with Karthi’s character and the placement of ‘Yaaro ivan yaaro’ song. I was very disappointed to watch this movie with a very limited number of viewers. This movie deserves more theatre acceptance, like what Maharaja or Lubber Pandhu got. Click to watch

HADINELENTU/ SEVENTEENERS ( YOUTUBE – KANNADA)

There are few other movies depicting issues regarding teenagers (Including OMG2) , what stands out for this movie is the way incidents unfold and the genuineness of courtroom scenes. This movie shows how a specific incident in college affects the lives of people around the pivotal characters, through various perspectives. Compelling storytelling and mature handling of the subject tempt viewers to wonder why no OTT platforms picked this movie. Catch the full review here.

HADINELENTU/ SEVENTEENERS

This movie is based on an intimate video of 2 classmates Deepa and Hari gets leaked out of nowhere and created a huge issue among the students and authorities. But things go out of their control after a point.

There are few other movies depicting issues regarding teenagers (Including OMG2) , what stands out for this movie is the way incidents unfold and the subtlety of court room scenes. Writer Prithvi Konanur shows the core incident from different point of view without villainzing the key characters. Be it the conversation between Deepa and Hari on how the video got leaked, discussion about their future, difference in their financial status or the stress of the college principal. Lack of over-aggressive parents is a good change.

Though viewers don’t get to see the actual video (There is a specific reason for it), Pritvi Konanur succeeded in highlighting the impact of that video on the lives of both the protagonists. He aptly add contributions from different characters to the development of the case and thus maintains the tension regarding the verdict of the case. Cuts were pretty sharp enough to prioritize different conversations and subplots related to the incident. Match cut towards the end was notable. I saw a ‘Part 1’ in the title when I searched about this movie. Movie ends up in note where court hearing begins. Surely waiting to know how the case progresses if they are going ahead for part 2.

In the list of performers, first name to mention for me is Rekha Kudligi as the college principal Seetha. The way she took up the responsibility and handled the situations was commendable.Sherlyn Bhosale’s intense performance added authenticity to the fight and helplessness of Deepa. Neeraj Mathew was fine as the regretting Hari, who mostly maintains his support for Deepa.

If you are still looking for drawbacks, I couldn’t find a major one. This movie is a must watch underrated teen drama with compelling storytelling and mature handling of the subject. It’s disappointing that no OTT platforms picked this movie. I really want to know if the OTT platforms consider credible names or the movie quality as the criteria for these kind of small movies. Hope the politics in the movie reaches to a wider audience.

Watch movie: https://youtu.be/TCcTQmFnlc4?si=UFkCTvUefpzMjHuP

Nunakkuzhi

Nunakuzhi explores how Eby, a company MD gets linked to a chain of incidents leading to chaos. Did he manages to escape from it?. Enjoy this fun ride movie to unveil the surprise

The most important factor in a multi linked story is the way individual stories shape up and gets connected to each other. That’s where the first credit goes to writer Krishnakumar. There is MD Vava alias Eby where the linking begins. Also, there is Grace Antony’s character who gets unintentionally involved in another incident. The way Krishnakumar connects subplots and creates chaos is just hilarious. Some initial scenes gave ‘Vaalvi’ kind of vibe. Though it gets predictable at times, Jeethu Joseph makes sure that the chaos never gets to a tiring or irritating mode. Special mention to the dialogues. For instance in a scene, Siddique’s character replies to Eby like ‘Police kar idichal nee ithinekkal vrithikku karayum’. The situation where the comic one-liners were delivered makes it easy to work out.

Cuts were nice enough to maintain the flow of the pivotal incidents and conversations. Background score carries the energy of the total movie and maintains the curiosity factor of where is this leading to. Title song was placed aptly but the other song wasn’t that needed for the movie.

Though Basil scores well with his unique mannerisms and comic timing, best performer in the cast list should be Baiju Santhosh. The way he reacts to stories in hospital conversation portions is just superb.(‘Kolamass’ as per one of his dialogue). Siddiqui too shines with his dialogue delivery and quick reactions. Manoj K jayan and Binu Pappu were notable too. Grace was convincing in conveying the conflict of her character. The way she narrates incidents during investigation scenes added laugher at needed portions. Nikhila Vimal and Swasika had nothing much to do in the movie.

Though at very minimal instances, humor at times felt bit forced. For instance: minor conversation scene about calorie comparison, getting exaggerated. I felt like bridge conversation portions were stretched bit too much. I think the way Jeethu portrayed alchohol drinking in this movie could have been better. These aren’t at all reasons to stay away from the movie.
Just go to the big screen and watch this Paisa vasool slapstick crime comedy entertainer. It will make you stay away from your sorrows for a couple of hours and offers few laugh-out-loud moments. Towards the end, Jeethu gives an indication of a sequel, which is much like a ritual in today’s movies. Surely waiting for that, if it happens.

Ullozhukku

Anju and Leelamma, two women living under the same roof share a few secrets between them. What happens when secrets get revealed?
Writer Christo Tomy takes the viewers to Anju’s life. She shares a happy relationship with Rajeev, whose job isn’t sufficient to lead their family life. Christo gives an outline of the life of Leelamma in a scene where she talks about her past. Slowly, Christo reveals the grey shade of a few characters in the second half.

Character writing is a major factor in slow burning melodramas and that’s where this movie succeeds in connecting with the audience. There was ample scope for Leelamma to overreact when she got to know the truth. Christo gives the character the required maturity to understand the dilemma of Anju. In a conversation scene, Christo provides a glimpse of Leelamma’s past. Subtlety was evident in the key revelation portions as well.

Sushin’s background score was pivotal in conveying the tension in the conflicts of Anju and fluctuating emotions of Leelamma. Special mention to the production team for the gradual portrayal of the intensity of flood, especially the increase in water level. Though the first half was a bit slow, the second half made it up, thanks to the decent cuts. Kudos to the sound design team for their authentic work to create the sound of the steady rain.

Urvashi puts up a masterclass of performance as Leelamma. Leelamma’s unconditional love towards her son & Anju, her immediate response after phone call and her conversations with Anju after secret reveal are more than enough to show her prowess. Special mention for the scene where she talks with Anju without looking at her face. Parvathy gives another remarkable performance as Anju. The way she tries to convince others about her satisfaction and makes bold decisions was superb. Alencier was another notable performer as Anju’s father.

Key drawback is that slowness in the 1st half may not be comfortable for a section of viewers. I expected better writing for the main two male characters too.

Ullozhuku is a raw and immersive emotional drama that narrates the tale of two women getting trapped around similar situations, but took different turns.

Verdict: Worth big screen watch

Rewind 2023: The most underrated movies of 2023

It’s that time of the year to rewind and look back at some of the movies from various languages that got very little attention than they actually deserved. I couldn’t include certain movies that aren’t available on any OTT platforms till the end of the year. (For instance: Joram, O. Baby, 19.20.21, Baakki vannavar, Goldfish etc.. ). Note that the list contains movies that I haven’t discussed in detail in previous posts. From my previous posts, Viduthalai part 1, 1001 nunakal, Burqa, Daredevil Musthafa and Kida will surely find their names in the list. So, let’s get started with the list:

NB: Expand the movie title to read more

Haami 2 (Bengali – SonyLiv)

Haami 2 is a breezy light hearted drama that talks about parenting and asks the relevant question: Is there any need to project children as prodigy to earn money and thus push them to big stage pressure so early?. This movie conveys the message through the conflicts of other characters including protagonist Siddharth’s brother character and his fellow competitor in reality show.

Toby (Kannada -SonyLiv)

Character development is the most important part in a character driven drama and that’s where this movie sets up the standard. This movie explores many challenges that Toby faces, right from his childhood. Raj B Shetty’s menacing and career best show uplifts this revenge saga to next level. (Unfortunately, searching for a perfect time window to watch his different avatar in Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, after its Prime video release).

Shiv Shastri Balboa (Hindi- Prime Video)

This feel-good slice of life drama works well mainly because of way, the 2 pivotal characters were shaped: Shiv sasthri, an ardent fan of Rocky Balboa movie and Elsa, a housekeeper who joins Shiv sasthri in a journey. Placement of few humour scenes and punch dialogues add to the merit of the movie.

Farhana (Tamil-SonyLiv)

Farhana traverses through the financial crisis of an orthodox Muslim family and how a call center job changes the life of the protagonist. Gradual narrative tone shift from emotional drama to a cat-and-mouse thriller and Aishwarya Rajesh’s anchoring performance makes this movie a compelling watch.

Kousalya Supraja Rama (Kannada -Prime video)

Many movies have explored the hardships of mother, especially in handling household activities. But this movie focuses more on the unconditional care of protagonist Ram’s mother even when she gets very minimal support in return and made the audience understand her character through others’ pov. Team deserve credit for delivering relevant emotional movie without entering melodrama phase.

Special mention

Koozhangal (Tamil- SonyLiv)

The only reason to keep Koozhangal in the special mention list is because its festival premiere started around 2 years ago. Otherwise, PS Vinoth Raj’s style of slowly and subtly building conflict around the Father and son is nothing short of a stellar master class.

800 (Tamil -JioCinema/Prime Video)

800 is a sincere attempt in showing different phases of the rough sea kind of the life of the SriLankan legend Muthiah Muralidharan. Right blend of Sinhalese-Tamil politics, rivalry and controversies around him makes this movie a genuine biopic.

Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway(Hindi- Netflix)

This movie is rooted on the struggle and lone fight for justice of a common woman against a system. Rani Mukherjee’s intense performance and some of the important dialogues in courtroom scenes are the major factors that helped viewers to connect with the protagonist and understand her conflict.

Neru

Sara, a skilled sculpture artist who fight against Micheal, son of a Mumbai based business tycoon after she files a rape case. Did she manage to get justice?. Neru sheds light onto this case.

In Drishyam franchise, Jeethu Joseph narrates a story where a normal family had to fight justice against accused with power and money. (There are few Drishyam references in this movie too). Here, he places a similar backdrop but approach is contradictory.
Protagonist is an underconfident advocate who feels he doesn’t have the fire to fight because he was away from practise for years. Writer duo Jeethu and Santhi managed to add a believable backstory regarding his past.

The most impressive part in court proceedings is how protagonist approaches the case. Even though there is enough scope for personal revenge, protagonist never takes that into priority. He even says ,”Even if I fails, victim should not”. Jeethu knew about the lack of twists and turns like Drishyam or Memories. He laid focus on making the narration more engrossing and he succeeded in it. For instance: Main witnesses interrogation portions and scene where protagonist validates the genuity of a pivotal evidence.

Though bit too loud towards the end, background score was so effective in portraying the ruthlessness of the antagonist and defense lawyer. Cuts were pretty fine though certain scenes involving Shanthi’s character should have been trimmed. Roohe song sung by Karthik was soothing to hear, especially when end title started rolling.

It’s always a pleasure to watch Lalettan in full flow as the lawyer reluctantly restarting his job and later executing his plan to prove the truth. Look out for his magic in the scenes where he first meets the victim and later stands with wet eyes towards the end. Answara is the real surprise show stealer as the blind victim. She was just stunning with her reactions, be it panic, helplessness or taking her strong stand (Especially regarding consent). Though Jagadeesh had limited screen space, he too did notably well. Negative character is just bread and butter for Sidhique and he was outstanding in court scenes. Writer duo gave enough build up regarding the professionalism of his character and his menacing performance did live up to the buildup.

The main negative was the placement of a main twist regarding the identification of accused. If that twist was introduced in the beginning of court scenes, case would have been closed by then. I expected Jeethu to treat court scenes in more realistic way, mainly because lawyer Santhi is also part of writing. But Jeethu took bit of cinematic liberty in narration.
If the viewer expectation is set as an emotional courtroom drama and not another Drishyam, this movie is surely worth a watch.