Thaandavam

Caught up with the full movie finally over this weekend and was pleasantly suprised that the film is actually good in parts. I'm still not convinced that Vijay is a top director and I am amazed he manages to get so many A-listers to work with him but to give him his due, he does get some things consistently right - has an ear for music, shoots songs imaginatively & makes some interesting heroine choices.

Kireedom was strictly average, Madarasapattinam didn't set my world on fire, Deiva Thirumagal was melodramatic drivel and so you could forgive me for expecting Thandaavam to be nothing more than a star vehicle hidden under meaningless layers of a disability turned & tuned into a strength.

Kenny (aka Vikram) has long been out of favor with me and when I heard some of his interviews about Daniel Kish and echolocation, I was petrified.  Thankfully, he is tolerable in the film and though he's visibly aged, Anushka looks a dream and is a sight for sore eyes. Amy Jackson can't act but who cares. The songs are melodious and Oru Paadhi in particular is haunting. There are genuinely magical moments of romance and the whole meeting-knowing-befriending-falling in love-marrying thread turned upside down is heartwarming. Take note self proclaimed king of romance GVM.

All in all, not bad, not bad at all.