The 'REAL' Winner of the Pongal Race - 2016

BOX OFFICE COLLECTION is a new fancy term and has been the media's favourite child for quite sometime. Be it fan-fights or be it a teeny-tiny argument about a movie, it ends up adding to the box office collection. But is it the box office collection that really determines whether a movie is good??? Do we remember movies like IRUVAR, ANBESIVAM, PUDHUPETTAI etc. based on their box office collections ? or do we remember them due to their remarkable content?? 

For all those people who consider CONTENT - As the king, This review is for you people... 

2016 has been a very special year for Tamil cinema as it has already seen the release of around 10 films, and Pongal ( being a major release time for the industry ) was even more special as the festival saw a clash of the industry's giants: Bala Vs Pandiraj Vs Ponram Vs Thirukumaran ( with their second film)..it was a good clash though.. 

And eventually the media has cited RAJINI MURUGAN to be the clear winner of the box office race. But, is that it?? Is that what movies are all about..?? Concentrated yet bland masala ? 

So, we at Reel Magnet Reviews, have set up a countdown on who exactly the REAL winner of the Pongal race is... Based on the content, story telling, technicality and innovation, we have come up with a list... a list for all the content junkies...

AT #4 spot we have RAJINI MURUGAN : 

What was expected to be a comic roller coaster turned out to be an average flick and the only reason it rose up to 'Average' from 'Poor/Flop' was the 2nd half which brought some meaning to the movie unlike its pointless 1st half.. Keerthy Suresh's performance was praised and lauded by the masses which actually turned out to be a notable film this far in her career. Even though this has all the elements it needs to become a blockbuster, it has nothing new or innovative to offer to the audience.

PROS : Sivakarthikeyan, Samuthirakani, 2nd Half

CONS : Pointless 1st half, VVS Climax twist ( Lame one too :P )

Box office : 20 Crores (Approx.) - as on 20/01/16

AT #3 spot we have KATHAKALI :

From the promos, we understood that this movie was in the lines of PANDIYANAADU. But if you ask whether the movie has lived up to that expectation, we just have to say that it falls quite short. The movie which has a run time of just 120 mins seems a little draggy and takes its own time to settle down. The movie relies heavily on the last 15 mins and the twist in the climax which has been handled intelligently by the director.. It's certainly not the best from Pandiraj and Vishal, yet passes with flying colours. 

PROS : Climax Twist, Cinematography, Colour Tone, Catherine Tresa :P :P 

CONS : BGM, Draggy Screenplay

Box Office : 5-8 Crores (Approx.) - as on 20/01/16

AT #2 spot we have GETHU : 

Forgetting the fact that Udhayanidhi and Vikranth form the protagonist - antagonist pair of the film, you come to realize that the movie is executed pretty well. The critics and the media have been slamming the film about the screenplay but there is a very small knot of the screenplay which plays a brilliant significance in the movie. Hats off to Udhayanidhi for breaking his stereotypical image and we are glad to see that he has excelled in action sequences, especially the pre-interval block. The on-screen chemistry between Udhayanidhi and Sathyaraj is too good. DOP Sukumar has carried this movie on his shoulders and visualized sequences like Hollywood movies.. VERA LEVEL.. :D

PROS : Sukumar's cinematography, BGM, Screenplay, Runtime, Sathyaraj

CONS : Songs, Budget constraints

BOX OFFICE : 2 Crores (Approx.) - as on 20/01/16

Undoubtedly The #1 spot goes to THAARAI THAPPATTAI : 

This priceless gem of a movie was terribly criticized for various reasons such as gore, dark content etc. But if you take a moment of silence and analyse, you realize that Bala has just showcased the life of people whom we forget to turn and take a look at. Brilliant movie.. Just Brilliant.. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar has given her career's best performance in her very second film. Be it the intensely fierce scenes or the scenes in which she emotes, she's done a fabulous job and the wedding sequence is a perfect example to justify the above made statement. As the movie proceeds, we get a feeling that Sasikumar has been under-utilized, but this is soon wiped away by a massy portion in the climax where he rules the screen, thanks to Raja sir's music. Overall the movie has been packed with dark elements prevalent in our very own society.

PROS : Content, Varalaxmi, Vision, Execution

CONS : Chezhiyan's cinematography and Raja sir's music (Doesn't really live up to the name of the 1000th film but the 1st song and the song featuring GM Kumar did do justice)

Note :

To all those who are shocked hearing 'Thaarai Thappatai' as the winner of the Pongal race : 

"Do remember the name REEL MAGNET REVIEWS when u keep continuously hearing the name "Thaarai Thappatai" in the next year's award ceremonies... I bet you will...!!"

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