sribornagain-394-460163 Puskhar-Gayatri fresh from their different yet successful debut movie "Oram Po " are back with yet another different attempt with "Va "(1/4) . The film's story takes place in one night, in which the protagonist, with the help of his would-be brother-in-law, hunts for a last liquor before leaving to Saudi Arabia. The freshness of the concept & the manner in which the movie has been shot are the strong points while the sluggish screenplay plays the spoilsport.The direction is also patchy with some good sequences interspersed with some very ordinary & some very amateurish ones. While watching the movie sometimes one get a doubt whether the same due have done this movie too for they have done a very neat job in their debut feature.Dialogues too are at times funny & at time kiddish. But the thing that make it worse is the bad dialog delivery from Shiva & the one who has dubbed for Lekha. Shiva's rendition of Kovai Tamil is simulated & doesn't jell with his body language. Shiva is getting typecast & he seems to be doing the same thing all over again right from his debut movie "Chennai 600028". He seem to have reluctance to come out of his comfort zone which would make his survival difficult in the industry which is fraught with heavy competition. Or else he would end up as a comedy side kick in the near future.S.P.B.Charan does a neat job of it as the brother-in-law of the hero .He has come a long way since "Unnai Saran Adaindaen " in his expressions & histrionics. His dialog delivery is way better than the hero & heroine while his comical expressions are a treat. His innocent & naive demeanor adds up to the effect.Lekha has nothing much to do which the bane of the heroine of contemporary Tamil movies.She overdoes her expressions in many of the sequences & she needs to learn how to draw a line between comical expressions & insanity .John Vijay is as competent as ever & after "Oram Po " he gets a meaty role in this movie & he has utilized the opportunity well.Nirav Shah's cinematography is one of the USPs of the movie . He is as stupendous as ever but the green tone does gets under one's nerve after a point. G.V.PrakashKumar's music has nothing much to offer while his BGM is pathetic to say the least. Its as if one is watching a amateur drama & BGM being given for it by some part-time musicians.On the whole , "Va (1/4) " is not as bad it is portrayed in the media . It does keeps one engaged in the goings-on with the intermittent phases of amateurishness that leaves one dismayed .Bottomline : Appetizing but not enough kick to offer..!

aarthiramadurai A bunch of my friends dragged me to this film as I'm really skeptic about Tamil films in general, filled with melodrama and clichés... Surprise! this film was just awesome!Can be compared to the best french comedies, like Andrew Weber's, who I'm a big fan of. What's more, its set in Madras, which gives it a unique flavor and captures the spirit and people there, which no film has ever managed to in Tamil. Another cool thing, is the irreverence with which the directors have handled the characters, as opposed to most films which pack in a pseudo message! All the characters, even the minor ones have a little story/anecdote to say, which gives these characters a unique flavor and depth. The performances and casting is excellent with a whole bunch of newcomers. Some of the lines are so funny and endearing, it brings tears to your eyes while laughing. And, the locations: where did they manage to find so many lovely, colonial structures?! It's not just a comedy, which usually don't have any technical finesse. This film is a visual treat which also sounds great! The entire team should be applauded for making this unique, fantastic film! Am really looking forward to the next film from the team! And guess, I'll start watching more Tamil films, letting go off my snobbish attitude that only European and some American films are worth a watch.

thillumullu100 Its a simple tale of 2guys, Suraa and Maarthandan in search of a drink on a dry night in the city of Chennai. But, the way the film has been structured, starting from the different characters involved in different activities in different parts of the city at the same time(6.30pm) and how these fascinating quirky characters come into play through the film is very complex and well structured. It has the style of international movies with picture perfect production design and camera work. Its really delightful to just see each and every frame of the film. The relationship between Suraa and Maarthandan is very tender and comes through a full arch with some sweet performances from the lead cast. Again casting wise, each and every character from Saro, as the dumb school girl to the father son duo played by the same character to the dogs which chase the protagonists are very unique and interesting. Even the Amman cutout, which finally saves the day plays a character! Its rather unfortunate that a lot of people don't seem to get the coolness and intelligence behind such an effort! Hope it doesn't end up as one of those highly underrated, fantastic films! The makers have the finesse and the film looks like its a love child of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guy Ritchie and Tarantino! Wow! It's that awesome! This trend is healthy and hope to see more such cutting edge, avant garde films in namma Madras!

Sharan S As Sura walks past the departure gates, he sees a pair of Arabs and sarcastically utters "I'm on my way to your country." An erstwhile attempt is made to invent black comedy and Va – Quarter Cutting succeeds with zeal. But, the zeal is lost in its interstate highway-like screenplay. Writing-directing duo, Pushkar and Gayathri intertwine many story lines and keep the characters in sketch while a few get left away. The characters in the film have a thirst to quench. Sura (Shiva) needs a drink, Marthandam (Charan) needs a clean slate to impress Sura's sister, whom he claims to marry, and Saro (Lekha) needs an answer from the occupants of heaven on why she has consistently failed her exams. This eventually forms the resolution after an action-packed climax.Pushkar and Gayathri infuse characters ranging from a hitchhiker en route to Chennai, to Anglo-Indian Bikers. They quench their thirst by adding scenes that are meant to evoke humor. While some of them succeed, most of them don't. On learning that the bar is closed in a five-star hotel, why didn't Sura and Marthandam go looking for another five-star hotel? Questions arise as you notice numerous flaws.G.V. Prakash's BGM is a Guy Ritchie rip-off. But, he manages to hide it by reworking on them, whether it's the 80s disco song or Hans Zimmer's Academy Award nominated tunes from Sherlock Holmes or the closing song of Snatch or RocknRolla's opening track. There's not much in Va that amuses us. The predictable screenplay makes hay at nighttime.