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Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Jillendru Oru Kadhal (2006) - Tamil Movie Review

Ranking: 3.5/5

Cast: Surya, Jyothika, Bhoomika Chawla
Director: Krishna
Music: AR Rehman

My husband and some friends went to watch Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna in the theater's this week but when I saw that they were also screening Jillendru... I changed my mind and went alone to watch this film. Since my husband does not understand or appreciate Tamil movies much I usually land up watching most of them alone... Almost 60 movies in close to 9 months...Not bad right? So I will give you the review of JOK and then continue to talk briefly of the 40 mins of KANK I saw...

Gautham (Surya) and Kundavi (J0) go through the many year old tradition of arranged marriage and move to Bombay. Initially both of them do not seem happy but when the frame changes and they are six years into their wedding they are a small happy family with a little daughter Aishwarya. As busy as they are being working parents, they also spend a good lot of time together being a family. In short they are a model happy nuclear family living in a big city.

Gautham gets a chance to go to USA for a presentation. Everyone is happy and all of Kundavi's family comes from the village to send him off. While doing some work around the house for Aishwarya Kundavi chances upon Gautham's old diary and she sits down to read a past that she had never known in the last six years.

The diary is written by Gautham who tells about a marriage to a girl named Aishwarya (Bhoomika) whom he had loved a lot but right after their marriage Aishwarya's father separates them. It was also written in the diary how Gautham would have been happy had he at least spent a day with Aishwarya...

Kundavi is very unhappy but does not show it out to Gautham explicitly. She spends time to find out the whereabouts of Aishwarya and then one day when Gautham opens the door it is Aishwarya standing...He is shocked and confused and watches silently as Kundavi leaves the house with their daughter telling him that he can have his one day with his first wife...

What happens next is pretty predictable, if anything happened otherwise then the public will either be confused or not accept it...This is a simple story. What I did not like is the little girl of Gautham and Kundavi who talks beyond her age...At most she would be five and five year old kids should not talk so much. The movie is directed like a Malayalam movie. Very simple and very few add on matters...And what is sad is that the songs are not very catchy and so irritated me and kept me looking for the "forward" button in the theater...

So when I walked out of the theater I felt that it was a decent movie that one can certainly watch with kids and entire family...Simple story and decent direction and screenplay compared to movies like Aran...Also sorry Gautham Menon, your assistant seemed to have learnt a thing or two from you unlike you who seems to have lost it! I could not believe the music is ARR's...maybe I should listen to them a few more times before I like them...

Now that my movie was over I had to wait for my husband's to get over...So I joined him and his friends in the theater screening KANK...another 40 mins was remaining...the final scenes where all 's well that ends well part was coming on...and by god I swear that it was the most boring ending. I started reflecting on JOK and I realized that that movie was way better than KANK and the director knew how to handle the climax without too much drama. I wish Hindi movie directors soon realize that making a movie with all super stars does not essentially mean that the movie has any masala! Also the 40 minutes I saw was enough to give me an idea of what the whole story might have been like...it felt like a MEGA SERIAL! Please watch KANK only if you have absolutely nothing to do or you have 3.25 hours to while away...Else just watch Jillendru Oru Kadhal...it is Cool ma!

9 comments:

Kasi Alagappan said...

JOK has been rechristened to Sillunu oru Kadhal (SOK) to avail the Tax benefits (for movie names in pure Tamil) offered by Govt. of TN. And yeah SOK is way better than KANK. You took a good last minute decision! Btw, I hv just posted my share of reviews...

SATYA said...

i did not watch the movie bt heard from friends that its too boring...u gave +ve feedback so let me see this weekend then

Anu Russell said...

Kasi...ya I noticed the change in name...but I feel Jillendru oru kadhal is as Tamil as Sillunu Oru Kadhal...SOK sounds very Madrasi and Jilendru sounds like regular Tamil...

Satyam, I think you are reading my reviews while I am checking my e-mails. Thanks dude for visiting my website...I have to warn you that I might have had a +ve opinion only because I saw KANK after the movie.

Although I do feel that JOK is a decent movie and worth watching once...

SATYA said...

hey ur reviews are cool and i really like the way u post...
i think its not KANK but KALANK...i liked the way in which abhishek acted in the film....songs are good..i did not really understand what is the problem of rani in the film...as u r good at reviews pls let me know;)

Anu Russell said...

I agree about hte Kalank part whole heartedly...

Ya...there is no justification about why Rani leaves Abhi...and that too for an eternally pissed off SRK? Damn the women...sometimes I cannot understand them...By that I am talking about Karan Johar (the gay director).

Anonymous said...

I thing, madam, you should learn to write reviews...what you write is nothing more than a loose narrative...

SATYA said...

i just saw the movie in udayam....nice one....good performence by jyothika and surya....i liked the film....more over the way in which surya loves jo to the extent more then her girl friend...and the film lacks seriously good songs apart from newyork nagaram...if it could had some sizzling numbers could have done more magic..anyways thaks for the review...i do feel that ur reviews are really good...cheers anu...take care
satyam

Kumar said...

Would u mind to read this review..
http://nowrunning.com/film/review.asp?movieNo=2736

Anu Russell said...

Kumar...Sorry I am not interested to let other reviews influence me.

Thanks