Vaaranam Aayiram Review – Cooum Dump

Vaaranam Aayiram – Box Office Disaster

We are convinced Kollywood director Gautam Vasudev Menon must have really loathed his late father.

And Vaaranam Aayiram is Gautam Menon’s remorseless act of revenge on his old man for grievances, real or imagined.

How else can you explain this moron making an interminably long pathetic piece of shit a.k.a. Vaaranam Aayiram and then dedicating the nonsense to his dad.

There’s Forrest Gump and then there’s Cooum Dump oops Vaaranam Aayiram. (Just in case you are not from Tamil Nadu and happened to stumble upon this review, Cooum is that infamous stinking river in the state’s capital Chennai.)

Like director Robert Zemeckis in Forrest Gump, Gautam Menon sets off to tell the story of an ordinary man, actually two ordinary men here, father and son (both played by Surya) but unlike Zemeckis our Menon quickly falls flat on his face and just can’t get up for the rest of the movie.

Oh wait, lest he open himself to charges of stealing Forrest Gump outright, Menon’s thrown some new ingredients into the chamber-plot like bringing in the father angle and the so-called bond between father and son. All are given the amateurish treatment here unlike in that masterpiece Forrest Gump.

If you are the impatient, attention deficit disorder kind of guy demanding instant gratification, here’s a quick review summary of Vaaranam Aayiram – The story is less than gripping, Surya’s acting is so-so, the dialogs inanely banal, the songs soporifically dull and the dances, oh, they are straight from hell.

Bottomline: Boring shit. The audience at Movie City (Edison, NJ) didn’t seem too engrossed and there was constant chitchat and moving about in the hall.

And who do you think takes credit (should actually be discredit) for writing & directing this garbage – Gautam ‘inept’ Menon.

Given the shoddy story and screenplay of Vaaranam Aayiram, even Brando couldn’t have salvaged this trash.

As crude as Menon’s last film Pachaikili Muthucharam, Vaaranam Aayiram lacks the finesse that made Forrest Gump one of the classics of the movie business.

Vaaranam Aayiram begins with a very sick Krishnan (the father Surya) wheezing and panting laboriously and quickly kicking the bucket but not before vomiting the obligatory pint of blood (Menon, you think Tamil movie fans are such retards that they won’t be convinced someone’s really sick unless they see him puke blood on the bathroom floor?).

The news is quickly conveyed to the son Major Surya, who’s in an helicopter on a rescue mission.

The story is then narrated in flashback, going as far back as his father’s college days, and ends with the old man’s funeral but not before subjecting the audience to a sadistically tedious 2hr-45 minutes.

Surya the son is so-so except in some scenes where he completely fails to deliver the goods. For instance, when he’s in the hospital in the U.S. and when he’s in the phone booth talking to his parents, Surya is all at sea (a so-so Surya is infinitely better than our Ultimate non-Star Ajith). Surya is much better in the role of the father.

Also, the younger Surya’s descent into alcohol and drugs were crudely handled by Menon.

The train scene when the younger Surya first meets Sameera Reddy had some life and some interesting moments.

As long as she’s not required to say anything or move a step, that baby elephant Sameera Reddy is alright. Otherwise she bares her ugly fangs.

When Sameera Reddy tells Surya she’s in love with him, the dialog and scene had as much emotional intensity and feeling as a routine pass the ketchup request at the dinner table.

Simran and Divya Spandana didn’t do much damage.

Except for the Adiye Kolluthey song (ugly picturization though), music in Vaaranam Aayiram is forgettable.

Charging $15 for the Vaaranam Aayiram garbage is nothing short of robbery. To our previous characterization of Gautam Menon as a mediocre film-maker, we must now add the title of petty-thief.

If you have any respect for your hard-earned money, stay away from this plague called Vaaranam Aayiram. Life’s too short to be wasted on such crap.

P.S: Will Anil Ambani fix the disgrace of Phoenix Adlabs Movie City theatre in Edison (NJ). Those duffers at the theatre can’t run a movie without messing it up. They did it twice in Vaaranam Aayiram (the frames keep getting split up on the screen).

Related Stories:
Vaaranam Aayiram – Box Office Disaster
Why Just 15 Minutes? Cut 2 Hrs:45 Min of VA, Please

116 Responses to "Vaaranam Aayiram Review – Cooum Dump"

  1. gtapradeep   November 14, 2008 at 3:51 am

    ooooh…disappointing….a lot of expectations for this movie though……..u probably saved me 150 bucks
    and kudos for the quick review

  2. singgakutty   November 14, 2008 at 4:56 am

    maybe out of topic.. anyway..

    why is it in indian movies, the grandfather, father and the son must have the same face i.e same actor..

    cut cost measurement?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: why is it in indian movies, the grandfather, father and the son must have the same face

    Best question asked so far on the SearchIndia.com blog. 🙂

  3. guruprasad.s   November 14, 2008 at 5:53 am

    I have watched Gautham Menon’s earlier movies Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein (remake of his own Minnale), Kakha Kakha, Vettiyadu Vilayadu (VV) and PachaiKili Muthucharam (PM), although I can just about understand Tamil.

    Kakha Kakha was perhaps the best. Taut, fine songs, and very less nonsense.
    RTHDM was watchable largely due to Madhavan and the music of Harris J.
    But in the remaining two movies, Menon goes downhill.
    I was wondering what exactly was Raghavan instinct (other than driving along some rather shady and less travelled roads, whether in India or USofA, and digging up dead bodies from the most obscure of places). Kamal’s investigative skills in VV appear rather amateurish, and Menon is to blame.
    I always thought Sarath Kumar is a loud actor devoid of restraint, but up to some part in PM, he proved otherwise. Then the real Sarath made his appeararance, the hero Sarath, who takes on an army of goons lead by that victim of Down’s syndrome Jyothika, who, only a few reels back, was playing seductress. While both VV and PM had some above average songs, and decent premise, especially PM, I thought Menon messed up the movies almost immedeatly after the beginning.
    I am surprised that Menon is still regarded as one of the better directors in Tamil Cinema.

    Can you briefly post the meanings of the titles of the movies mentioned above ? I understand Kakha is probably same as Kakhi (the color of the uniform of Police in India), but Vettiyadu Vilayadu, PachaiKili Muthucharam, and Vaaranam Aiyaram are beyond my vocabulary (except that I know, Kili in Tamil means parrot).

    Searchindia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Kakha Kakha was perhaps the best. Taut, fine songs, and very less nonsense.

    Yes, we agree. After Kakka Kakha, Gautam Menon’s been careening downhill and ripping off moviegoers.

    We’ve watched & listened to the Uyin Uyire song 100 million times. OK, that’s an exaggeration…we’ve watched it only 99 million times.

    2. You write: I am surprised that Menon is still regarded as one of the better directors in Tamil Cinema

    In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man from Kerala is King.

    3. You forgot Kamal’s homophobic comments in VV.

    4. You write: I always thought Sarath Kumar is a loud actor devoid of restraint

    Sarath Kumar is loud. Period. The other words actor & restraint are not in his lexicon.

    5. Loose translations:

    Vaaranam Aiyaram – strength of a thousand elephants
    Vettaiyadu Villaiyadu – Hunt and play.
    Kaakka Kaaka – To protect

  4. moviefan   November 14, 2008 at 6:37 am

    You’ve all the rights to disagree with a movie. But then avoid using this kinda lines.

    “We are convinced Kollywood director Gautam Vasudev Menon must have really loathed his late father”

    You are no one to speak about the bond between Goutham and his father. What is it to you?

    Review only the movie! Speaking about one’s feeling is atrocious and unfair.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: You are no one to speak about the bond between Goutham and his father. What is it to you?

    The fact that this abomination is dedicated to his father, a detail made cloyingly explicit at the end of the movie, makes our point relevant to the review.

  5. sanewar   November 14, 2008 at 6:56 am

    i ve already lost respect to gautam menon since vettaiyadu vilaiyadu , he is beginning to draw inspirations from hollywood,, he was good as long as he did his original storylines that is upto kakha kakha …. when i saw pachai kili i felt ashamed… still i believe he is a good director … but he has to forget about hollywood and start doing movies with his original story and screen play …. and i never thought surya is better than ajith after seeing ajiths performances in amarkalam and vaali.. so i recommend searchindia to watch out for movies from cheran ameer (who recently received an international award for his masterpiece ” paruthi veeran “) to get a clear idea about where kollywood is heading instead of watching shitty movies of vijay ( a real shame to tamil cinema who continues to believe that what he does is attaracting people) and still i yet to see a good movie from hollywood after ” the dark knight ” this year.. is a messed up year for hollywood also … i am starving to find some good hollywood movies from this year…. one more thing ….. why searchindia is not reviewing teen comedies such as ” superbad ” which i think the best in its genre..

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: when i saw pachai kili i felt ashamed

    When we watched Pachakilli Muthucharam, we felt like bringing back the guillotine.

    2. You write: this year.. is a messed up year for hollywood also

    Every year is annus horribilis for Kollywood.

  6. SRINIVAS   November 14, 2008 at 7:02 am

    i have not seen the movie – but

    SI : music in Vaaranam Aayiram is forgettable.

    The music is mindblowing and has already topped the charts ..this is by far the best album of 2008.

    As far as the movie is concerned … i will comment after watching it …

    Rather than Ajith , comparisons with SI would be more appropriate !!! . you could use that as a Synonym.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Rather than Ajith , comparisons with SI would be more appropriate !!! . you could use that as a Synonym

    As we’ve told you on several occasions earlier, before you start typing your next idiotic comment you might want to consider chopping off all your errant fingers lest they type some rubbish yet again.

    Since you appear to be too much of a schmuck to learn without some graphic props, watch Malcolm McDowell in Passage (1979) as he does a terrifyingly good finger-chopping job on his prisoner.

    We are sure in whichever prison you call home there must be a big mama willing to do that to a lil girlie like you.

    2. You write: this is by far the best album of 2008

    Yeah right. And the comparisons are with kuppa like Aegan, Kuruvi, Bheema, Satyam, Kuselan

    We are sure some lobotomized idiot made a movie called kuppathotti and Vaaranam Aayiram songs are better than that too. Happy?

  7. SRINIVAS   November 14, 2008 at 9:16 am

    You are obssessed with Ajith … I am not sure if even a Ajith Fan would think / refer to him with an alarming frequency as yours truly. Is Ajith also there in this movie ????

    Anyways .. I remember you having posted extracts of reviews in other websites to pan a movie … Here are some of them for you … so that you dont have to go through the trouble …hope you will post the links below from .. Sify , Rediff , MSN ..

    [links deleted]

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: I am not sure if even a Ajith Fan would think / refer to him with an alarming frequency as yours truly

    Don’t use expressions like yours truly if you don’t know what they mean. Stick to what you picked up from Learn English in 365 months through Tamil.

    Yours truly usually means oneself not what you mean above.

    (From Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition P.1454
    yours truly: I, me, myself)

    Here’s an example of correct usage: Yours truly is convinced that each time Srinivas put its fingers to a keyboard, it commits murder, most foul.

    2. You write above: You are obssessed with Ajith

    Hardly. We only use him as a frame of reference to highlight the depths to which bad acting can descend.

    3. You write: I remember you having posted extracts of reviews in other websites to pan a movie

    Well, in your adrenaline rush you forgot the Behindwoods link.

    Let’s try to be Fair & Balanced, the goal of the SearchIndia.com blog. Here’s an excerpt from the BW review about this tripe a.k.a Vaaranam Aayiram:

    What could have been a subtly told story turns into a sloppy fare with way too much of daddy-glorification and emotional I-love-you-and-I-see-you-in-everything-dialogues. However, this memoirs-of-my-dad would have been a wonderful watch if it did not adopt a schmaltzy narrative often, more often than you think actually, interrupted with songs.

  8. ★TRΞY☆   November 14, 2008 at 10:16 am

    @sanewar (Saturday?) – Superbad was funny. All movies involving Seth Rogen seem to be good..

    Did you watch Pineapple express, Tropical Thunder.. those got good reviews.. but I’d wait for DVD.

  9. bimmer   November 14, 2008 at 11:41 am

    Yes SI..In fact u r Obssesed with Ajith..Did U have Ajith in Mind while Watching VA.

    BTW That is why you forgot to watch the Movie..and u’r review on the Movie is infact Pathetic to the Core.

    Please do not Compare VA with Forrest Gump..Forrest Gump was a Hollywood and VA Is a Tamil Movie.

    I watched VA Yesterday in Chicago Yesterday. Except a few Ameturish Scenes and The Movie length 3.15 Hrs. I defenetly thing VA Is one of the Good movies Tamil Film Industry has Produced.

    Again I do not Understand In your point of view what a Good Movie means.

    Dasavatharam was Crap, Kireedom, Mughavari, Godfather aND All Ajith Movies are Crap. Now VA Is on u’r list.

    Pokiri was a Great Movie..

    BTW It is high time hubbers realise that u r not fit to review a movie.

    IMHO I paid 45 Dollars and watched this movie with my Family. and everyone enjoyed the Honest Straight from the heart movie.

    Thanks

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: BTW It is high time hubbers realise that u r not fit to review a movie.

    What the f*** are you writing here. This is not the hub forum, whacko. You are on the SearchIndia.com blog, the best source for Bollywood, Kollywood & Hollywood reviews.

    2. You write: I defenetly thing VA Is one of the Good movies Tamil Film Industry has Produced

    Were you wanking your meat in the dark that you confuse the euphoric release for the movie VA.

    3. You write: u’r review on the Movie is infact Pathetic to the Core

    Have you ever tried reading what you write after you finish. Better not, lest you feel compelled to inflict injury on yourself.

  10. bimmer   November 14, 2008 at 11:50 am

    Trey

    Suberbad was a Ugly movie with Crude Comedy.

    Pineapple Express is just an O.K Movie

    Tropic Thunder, Not Tropical Thunder was again an Ordinary movie..it is no where near Ben Stiller’s 40 year old Virgin.

  11. sanewar   November 14, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    @ trey, saturday is far away from my actual name…..
    Tropic Thunder was hilarious,whenever i think of kirk lazarus, i start to laugh my stomach out….

    waiting for pineapple express to come on dvd….

    if u get a chance , watch transsiberian – decent movie

  12. bimmer   November 15, 2008 at 12:24 am

    Yes..Mr Shakesphere..

    I will try to read what I write..But before u post a review why not read the piece of S*** that you write a So called a Bullshit review.

    Why Comment on me u pathetic Physco..Comment on your review.

    BTW Again u’ve proved that u cannot stand or tolerate someone critizising your review. Your comments on the movie shows that you have to grow up quite a bit. So grow up Kiddo..and take it easy.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Physco..Comment on your review.

    Comments are meant for you, whacko. Not for the author to post.

    And WTF is Physco?

    2. You write above: BTW Again u’ve proved that u cannot stand or tolerate someone critizising your review

    We tolerate all shades of opinions.

    The fact that we post your garbage is ample proof of how tolerant we are of different opinions, even if some of them (like yours) amount to no more than the gibberish chatter of red-bottomed monkeys.

  13. mallukuttan   November 15, 2008 at 12:59 am

    To my dear dear SI mates,

    As i said I’m a fan of your reviews, and i just wanna gove some pointers to you, please consider.

    1.) Are you being too harsh? Well, please stop comparing to hollywood movies or else you’ll hardly have a good movie in a decade especially in Kollywood.

    2.) Please be a bit lenient wid your reviews. Is this the same trash that Ajith or Vijay had been dumping on the kollywood industry? Or rajnikanth’s overacting piece of shit? So atleast mention that.

    And what do you think about surya? How was his perfomance compared to Vijay, Ajith, etc.???

    Can you name a better movie than this in the recent past from kollywood that isn’t a scene by scene rip off?

    Answer please 😐

    PS: Reminder – Awaiting eagerly for Iruvar review 😀

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: How was his perfomance compared to Vijay, Ajith, etc.???

    Compared to Ajith, even a Karupaapuchi (cockroach) would do better. That duffer can’t act for the life of him. Maybe, he ought to have stuck to autorickshaws, cyclerickshaws or whatever he was racing earlier. Vijay is a little better. Surya is most likely the best of the the three.

    That said, comparing one Tamil actor to another is like asking Does cow dung stink less than horse dung?

    Of hand, we can think of only Kamal Haasan and Pasupathy who have something resembling talent.

    2. You write: Are you being too harsh?

    We don’t know about you. But when we pay $15 for a ticket, we want our money’s worth.

    3. You write: Well, please stop comparing to hollywood movies or else you’ll hardly have a good movie in a decade especially in Kollywood

    So, are you going to compare Ajith with Vijay…Vijay with Surya, Vishaal with Simbhu, Vadivelu with Vivek & Trisha with Nayantara?

    The simple truth of the matter is that given the large number of movies India makes, much of it is unwatchable garbage.

    True, Hollywood makes garbage too but they also make good movies there as well as in Europe.

    4. You write: Can you name a better movie than this in the recent past from kollywood that isn’t a scene by scene rip off?

    Maybe, if we hadn’t seen Forrest Gump, we might have liked VA.

    For a villager from Kadampuliyur, Rippon Building in Chennai looks like the grandest edifice in the world until he sees the Taj Mahal.

  14. SRINIVAS   November 15, 2008 at 1:16 am

    Thanks for the English lessons .. i was expecting that …
    BTW ..the book is called ..learn English from Tamil in 30 days … maybe you used the 365 months one .. took a long time to learn ..that’s why your’s is good … anyway ..that’s not the point ..

    SI: Well, in your adrenaline rush you forgot the Behindwoods link.

    I just went for reviews in reputed sites .. like Sify , Rediff and MSN …also viewer’s feedback counts …

    Read the whole review again on Behind Woods

    SI:Fair & Balanced, the goal of the SearchIndia.com blog.

    All the above including Behind woods have been Fair & Balanced,highlighting good and bad points of the movie .
    Opinions might differ … but you are simply not able to see anything good … lot of negativity … maybe you need some help .. i suggest read all these reviews again and again … before you write your next review.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Obviously, sarcasm is lost on dolts.

    VA has little merit in it.

  15. SRINIVAS   November 15, 2008 at 1:20 am

    sanewar – transiberian is great … visuals of Russia / Siberia are great .. and above all the punch comes in the form of Ben Kingsley , who makes a rather late entry in the movie.

  16. Madhu1310   November 15, 2008 at 2:20 am

    The Guy has gone nuts…don come to a decision based on this Bull***t. The movie is good and it was certainly worth the money spent.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: The movie is good and it was certainly worth the money spent.

    Sure if you have money to burn, if your name is thavakalai and if crap turns you on.

  17. the gora   November 15, 2008 at 3:01 am

    Bimmer,

    Lay off the chronic. Steve Carell, not Ben Stiller, was the 40-Year Old Virgin and that movie was average compared to the brilliance of Superbad.

  18. asundar41   November 15, 2008 at 3:37 am

    How much do you get paid to tear apart a tamil movie? Or is it a sadistic pleasure that you get?
    Please for hell’s (you seem to like this word a lot) sake, dont compare Hollywood with Kollywood at least until 2050.
    Gautam has to satisfy all types of audience and that is sadly the state of most directors in Kollywood.
    If you can, please donate some money towards educating at least 1 poor child in India and India could see more literate people sooner because literacy is a pre-requisite to appreciate a good film.
    Movies like Nayagan doesn’t happen very often, so the only solution is time.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: How much do you get paid to tear apart a tamil movie?

    Since when did they start paying reviewers who turn their critical lens on every movie.

    2. You write: dont compare Hollywood with Kollywood at least until 2050.

    Good Tamil movies by 2050? Now you are being too optimistic.

  19. asundar41   November 15, 2008 at 4:10 am

    1. You write above: Good Tamil movies by 2050? Now you are being too optimistic.
    This goes back to question how sooner India can see close to 100% literacy. The question is, can you help? If you have already, then you’ll have to wait. But there is definitely a rising curve that is sadly being pulled down constantly by some scallywags in the industry.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: But there is definitely a rising curve that is sadly being pulled down constantly

    If that is so, it must be a closely guarded secret or you must have a third Eye to see incredible things that us ordinary mortals miss.

    Let’s look at the parade of garbage making its way out of Kollywood lately – Kuruvi, Bheema, Kuselan, Indralogathil Naa Alagappan, Satyam, Aegan or stolen stuff like Saroja,

    Some rising curve.

  20. sugat123   November 15, 2008 at 4:28 am

    To all the guys who feel the reviews here in SI are too harsh, I personally believe the reviews here are objective and without bias. Ofcourse the reviews are harsh but thats how the review should be. People pay money to watch movies, they spent their money and time so that they could have some entertaintment. If they are not getting their worth, it is the job of the reviever to warn them to not waste thier money.

    As of Indian movies, such reviews are required as 99 % movies are crap and we dont want to waste money because we have it to spend.

    As far reviews from websites like MSN, Sify etc. are concerned, their review makes even the crappiest movie made look like a Steven Speilberg Classic. These sites are not worthy reviewers.

    As a result of relying on such reviews, we Indians have got accustomed to watch any crappy movie that comes out in market and waste money.

  21. cberameshin   November 15, 2008 at 5:31 am

    So far my previous comments have been on the appreciation side of your appraisals. i greatly enjoyed when you thrashed kuselan,dasa n other movies.there was a row of your thrashings in the recent times except for forrest gump,anbe sivam n some others.when i read this review i thought this guys’ real time business would have become a damp-squib due to the financial market crash everywhere n he has started to pour out all his anger n grief at places where it does not deserve.
    what the hell your eyes saw & ears heard while watching VA,i dont know. Surya was rockin,all other characters were apt..and they acted really well..Songs were very good,cinematography-great….screenplay was convincing even though it was quite dragging at parts. By the way dont compare this with Forrest gump.it’s the greatest of the greatest. Comparison with hollywood films is worthless primarily due to cultural differences,which you find hard to understand. When you move across and compare different culture films the rating should be done and would be effective only if it’s based on the entertainment quotient & logic in portrayal.
    What logic n entertainment you saw missing in this film.there were some like….the background sets were somewhat artificial in DAD surya’s college days…the song ava enna enna thedi vanda anjale was artificial…(they were minor defects)the screenplay would be dragging as you had said if you’d gone to the film with the expectation of fireworks as in pokiri. watch the film once again without expectations….it has pleasantness…..
    I also wanted to ask you something reg comparisons.what makes you say pokiri is good….have you compared with the original mahesh babu”pokiri”..can you spot out 7 differences between those films….it’s a damn rip-off even in mannerisms of characters.you compare VA with forrest gump n dont compare pokiri with pokiri. VA has nothing to do with Forrest gump…they were almost different. Saroja was an outright theft,you said.not completely actually because the entire stolen screenplay was woven with humor and was completely dependent on it,which the original hadn’t.
    saw you make some good english lessons with the above comments (think this thing’s also’ll get)….you teach lessons good but not getting to the point to the commenter’s questions in most cases… just because you have a commendable language doesn’t make you a good reviewer. Highlight all the aspects of the films.Appreciate positive things….which you do very less n important of all learn to accept your mistakes…
    wish you’d direct a film and i’d got it reviewed……Hope you’ll recover frm the market let down n get back on track fresh…GET WELL SOON.

    SearchIndia.com Review:

    Thanks for your elaborate review oops comment.

    1. You write above: I also wanted to ask you something reg comparisons.what makes you say pokiri is good….have you compared with the original mahesh babu”pokiri”..can you spot out 7 differences between those films….it’s a damn rip-off even in mannerisms of characters….Saroja was an outright theft,you said.not completely actually because the entire stolen screenplay was woven with humor and was completely dependent on it,which the original hadn’t.

    Whoever coined the term bizarre probably had you in mind.

    You compare a remake of a film (in this case the Telugu & Tamil versions of Pokiri) and then complain that there are no differences. Two sentences later, you tacitly justify Saroja’s theft because there was some humor in it unlike in the Hollywood original.

    Pokiri (Tamil) was a nice amalgam of action, love, humor, twists and music.

    2. You write above: VA has nothing to do with Forrest gump…

    For sure, Surya is not Tom Hanks. And Gautam Menon is not Robert Zemeckis.

    But at a conceptual level, the movies are similar in terms of tracing the lives of two average Joes over a multi-decade period.

    Some techniques like flashback, themes like destiny, army… appear in both movies.

    Where they differ is that Forrest Gump was a masterpiece while VA was a piece of crap.

    3. You write: By the way dont compare this with Forrest gump.it’s the greatest of the greatest. Comparison with hollywood films is worthless primarily due to cultural differences,which you find hard to understand.

    We completely disagree. What would you have us do…Compare VA with Indralogathil Naa Azhagapan or Aegan?

    We have said this a gazillion times. It’s perfectly alright to compare movies across geography and time. At its basic level, movies are just a medium or form of entertainment.

    4. You write: Comparison with hollywood films is worthless primarily due to cultural differences,which you find hard to understand

    That is a completely unjustifiable justification.

    Hollywood is the inspiration for most Indian film-makers…and if you crack open our desi movie-makers skulls, you’d be hardpressed to find a single original idea.

    Your so-called cultural differences between Hollywood & Kollywood movies did not prevent that Thirutu Nai Venkat Prabhu from stealing from a Hollywood movie, making a few cosmetic changes and fobbing it off as an original.

    If Hollywood movies are not the relevant comparison, why would the Bollywood and Kollywood buffoons steal from so many English movies. Examples: Aanai, Thenali, Sarojaad nauseum ad infinitum.

    5. You write: screenplay was convincing even though it was quite dragging at parts

    Wrong. It was mostly dragging in VA.

    6. You write: there was a row of your thrashings in the recent times except for forrest gump,anbe sivam n some others.

    You can’t call a lump of coal as a diamond because it’s still work in progress.

    Yes, we were critical of recent movies like Satyam, Aegan, Kuselan…But they were all garbage.

    What would you have us do…sing paeans to trash?

    7. You write: i thought this guys’ real time business would have become a damp-squib due to the financial market crash everywhere n he has started to pour out all his anger

    Here are some reviews done a few years back before the financial market crash: Aanai, Thenali, Dharma Durai…We could offer similar examples with our Bollywood reviews as well but since your above review oops comment is restricted to Tamil movies, we won’t bother.

    So, cut the arm-chair, amateur psycho-analysis babble, Freud. Our reviews have nothing to do with the Dow or Nadaq or Sensex.

    Most Tamil or Hindi movies are either unendurable crap or stolen.

    8. You write: watch the film once again without expectations….it has pleasantness…..

    There is absolutely no meaning in the above sentence.

    When we pay $15 for a ticket, it’s like any other business transaction. In exchange for the $, we certainly have an expectation that in return the director/producer/actors will deliver a quality movie not a half-baked, asinine movie.

  22. cberameshin   November 15, 2008 at 5:45 am

    Forgot one thing……plz explain clearly, what do you mean as a GOOD film??……..

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    When we pay $15 for a movie, we expect to be entertained not bored.

    Ideally, we’d like an original, novel story (unrealistic to expect this from Indian moviemakers), meticulous & taut screenplay (not something written on one-side of a napkin), solid acting (not the Ajith nonsense), good action scenes (if the script or movie demands it), decent music (we are tired of seeing songs suddenly appear without any logic but again we are realistic enough to accept that this won’t change), graceful dancing not the hippo-version and shorter films with better editing.

    What we are tired of in Indian movies: repeated stealing of plots/scenes and music and then claiming they are original like that Thirutu Nai or filming in foreign locales like Switzerland, Poland, Australia, Namibia or wherever without any logic in the hope (from moviemakers) that viewers will be bamboozled by the the picturesque scenes and not notice the absence of a story or acting.

    Going to Movies is an expensive proposition these days.

    In the U.S. Tamil movie ticket prices can run as high as $25 (Sivaji)…In India too, we hear ticket prices run into several hundred Rupees.

    When tickets prices are so high, there’s no excuse for not delivering on the promise of entertainment.

  23. asundar41   November 15, 2008 at 5:59 am

    exactly, I did mean the same. Movies that you have mentioned are a crap but deplorably you are not able to understand the reason behind it that I mentioned in my first comment. I am not looking at improvements on a monthly or seasonal basis but movies like Paruthiveeran, Mozhi and Veyyil are definitely in the right direction. You dont have to be a brainiac to identify crap movies.

    Mr sugat123, may I know how much you have contributed to India’s overall developments (sorry I dont mean yours)?
    It’s pathetic to see Indians sitting in US and comment on the Indian movies’ ineptitude. By just sending money home and building on the country’s foreign exchange doesn’t mean you are doing a favor, blockheads!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. We like Mozhi and to some extent Veyyil too…but unlike you we see them as aberrations rather than as a trend.

    2. You write: Mr sugat123, may I know how much you have contributed to India’s overall developments (sorry I dont mean yours)?… By just sending money home and building on the country’s foreign exchange doesn’t mean you are doing a favor, blockheads.

    You schucko, what’s anyone’s contribution or donation to India got anything to do with VA.

    What’s the relationship between the price of onions in Vaniyambadi and George Bush’s foreign policy.

    3. You write above: It’s pathetic to see Indians sitting in US and comment on the Indian movies’ ineptitude.

    And what the f*** is pathetic about Indians sitting in the U.S. and commenting on Tamil movies…Why should that be verboten, you dummkopf.

    Are you the censor-police or what…only Indians in India should write about Tamil movies but it’s alright to deepthroat their $$$.

    BTW, are Sri Lankan Tamils allowed to write on Tamil movies. And what about people in Porur, Nungambakkam, Ayanavaram, Tiruvotriyur…are they allowed to comment on Indian movies.

    Maybe, we should restrict comments on Tamil movies to the residents of Kodambakkam.

    God forbid that you should ever run a blog, it’d be so uni-dimensional with no room for contrary viewpoints.

    You seem to belong to the homo idiot species (not referring to gays here, you dodo) that believes in the credo: Hurray, I have a keyboard, so I must type a nonsensical comment.

  24. avis   November 15, 2008 at 9:39 am

    Ok..normally i would think the review here is bit blatant, I assume that the review was written immediately once the author exit the theatre, cos i felt the same way.

    I watched here in chennai at abirami mall, 10 pm show and it was a gruelling experience until some 1:15 am or so. When the intermission came after first half, almost everybody in my gang, and those around us in the hall felt that we’ve already seen one full length movie (because of sheer torture we went through and not by the length mind you), so whats more in the second half. Almost from the second half, everybody was eagerly waiting for just one scene. (And pls dont ask me if we were expecting some turning point in the plot) THE END of course!! When the movie would get over..Just when we all were thinking that the movie would get over, there are more scenes, more emotions, more torture, thanks to Gautam.

    Ok Gautam wanted to tribute a movie to his father. Fair enough. May be Gautam wanted the film to be this way or may be not..I dont mind.. But what i really mind is that how could he release this movie for public viewing. He should have had this on his personal movie library, and not given us a paid torture.

    The only movie i liked of gautam was Kaakka Kaakka,which I can see most people here seem to agree. But Kollywood has glorified him to be next to mani ratnam kind of directors which is absolute bull shit.

    Final Verdict (Not just mine, I can very confidently include every other living thing in that hall watching the 10 pm show along with us): One of my friends said he was going to write his CAT exam the coming Sunday, and when some guy in front row heard this, all he said was “Yaaru pa inga CAT yezhutharathu, Velangirum!!”. When the movie did get over, you should see the euphoria among the audience in the theatre as if people just heard on the radio that India has become independent. I think that sums it all.

    Hey!! The music is not all that bad I guess. I like Nenjukku Peithidum(the version sung by Hariharan) and Adiyae Kolluthae.

    PS: Sorry for such a lengthy review, couldn’t shorten it.Its my first post here. Will improvise i guess 🙂

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: When the movie did get over, you should see the euphoria among the audience in the theatre as if people just heard on the radio that India has become independent.

    Funny. 🙂

    2. You write above: Ok Gautam wanted to tribute a movie to his father. Fair enough. May be Gautam wanted the film to be this way or may be not..I dont mind.. But what i really mind is that how could he release this movie for public viewing. He should have had this on his personal movie library, and not given us a paid torture.

    We agree.

    3. You write above: When the intermission came after first half, almost everybody in my gang, and those around us in the hall felt that we’ve already seen one full length movie

    Interesting because the folks sitting behind us for the 8PM show of VA at Movie City (Edison, NJ) had a similar feeling.

    The audience was restless…continuous chattering, moving about..some were loudly regretting that they had not gone to Quantum of Solace (we have midnight shows here on Thursday night i.e after 12.00 AM Friday for new movies).

    4. You write: The only movie i liked of gautam was Kaakka Kaakka,which I can see most people here seem to agree. But Kollywood has glorified him to be next to mani ratnam kind of directors which is absolute bull shit

    There seems to be serious paucity of talent in the Tamil movie industry more so than in Bollywood. That’s the reason folks like Gautam Menon are able to get away with mediocrity and are hailed as visionaries.

  25. madan2906   November 15, 2008 at 10:23 am

    I request you to stop writing reviews….

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    And we request you to throw your keyboard out of the window.

  26. ★TRΞY☆   November 15, 2008 at 10:26 am

    BimmΞr, Superbad was a fine movie.. And as Gora, said it was better than 40 yo virgin.. And the “Tropical” was just a slip of the finger..
    http://google.com/trends?q=tropic,+tropical&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0
    will explain why that is pardonable..

    Looks like the VA review is more popular than Aegan.

    Sanewar, thanks for the tip on Transsiberian.. I am a huge Emily Mortimer fan.. (she has done some of my most favorite nude scenes ever. “Lovely & Amazing” has her best (nude)work, as you probably know.)

  27. mallukuttan   November 15, 2008 at 11:43 am

    @ Searchindia

    Totally satisfied with your answers.

    Yeah 15$ for a crap, yup, i can understand, and even i would write something same (or worse 😉 )

    Among the youngsters only Surya and Vikram has proved that they can perform.. Loved Gautham’s Kaakha kaakha.

    Surprising that you liked adiyey kolluthen alone. I liked mundhinam song as well.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: Among the youngsters only Surya and Vikram has proved that they can perform..

    We think Vikram is the probably the best of the younger lot…he was pretty impressive in Anniyan.

    As we wrote a few years back in our Anniyan review:

    The highlight of this movie is a stellar performance by Vikram in all three roles – Ambi, Remo and Anniyan. But it’s the image of the Iyengar lawyer Ambi with that Brahminical Tamil dialect and constantly agitated over lack of discipline and respect for law that lingers long after you leave the auditorium.

  28. bimmer   November 15, 2008 at 11:46 am

    @ The Gora

    I was assuming It was Ben Stiller, Both these guys look pretty similar.

    BTW I did Like superbad, But It was way too Crude.

  29. vidhyasuran   November 15, 2008 at 11:51 am

    The great reviewer,

    why do u review about Tamil movies? i think ur crazy of english movies coz i have seen ur earlier review of vetayadu velayadu, dasavatharam. u always compare an Indian movie with an English one and u write only bullshit! And talking about Gautham Menon’s relationship with his father is none of ur business!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: why do u review about Tamil movies

    This forum is not for cretins like you who are still in diapers. Out.

    2. You write above: u always compare an Indian movie with an English one

    You forget the fact that a lot of Indian movies (both Tamil and Hindi) are plagiarized from Hollywood.

    3. You write: talking about Gautham Menon’s relationship with his father is none of ur business

    That is very pertinent because this torture a.k.a. Vaaranam Aayiram is dedicated to Gautham’s old man, a point the mis-director explicitly highlighted at the end.

  30. vidhyasuran   November 15, 2008 at 11:53 am

    Dont bother to reply for my previous response. Again itz gonna be another bullshit and i promise will not come back to view your crap!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You are probably going to come back & write a comment in a different name.

    But if you stick to your promise, we’ll break a coconut in your nutty name, vidhy-asuran.

  31. bimmer   November 15, 2008 at 11:54 am

    We will have to wait for tamil movies to be on par with hollywood until 2050.

    But SI Reviews will Still remain the same Crap. You will never learn to write a review.

    BTW U wrote that Pokiri was a Good Movie. what did u like in Pokiri that you did not like in Varanam Ayiram.

    If some one critizes your review. try to answer the questions rather than taking english lessons.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: BTW U wrote that Pokiri was a Good Movie. what did u like in Pokiri that you did not like in Varanam Ayiram.

    We have answered this question earlier. Please go back to the earlier comments & read our response.

    2. You write: But SI Reviews will Still remain the same Crap. You will never learn to write a review

    And your tail wouldn’t have grown any shorter.

    3. You write: try to answer the questions rather than taking english lessons

    It’s not merely about the English, though you wouldn’t understand it.

    When we post a review or you post a comment, both of us ought to be mindful that tens of thousands of people invest precious time reading this blog.

    So it’s our obligation and yours to treat readers with respect by being mindful of what we write and our Ps and Qs.

  32. Madhu1310   November 15, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Oh be it so…It doesn’t change the fact that you are a tirade spitting A****l*…and a cynic of the top draw…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Vandattanga pa comedy pasanga (here come the clowns). Sigh. 🙁

  33. bimmer   November 15, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    If u complain about spending 15$ Then don’t watch them atleast we would not have to look at these rottrn reviews.

    Pokkiri was a Nice Amalgam of Mahesh Babu’s actions.
    Comparing VA with Forrest Gump is way too ridiculus while u cannot compare Telugu Pokiri to Tamil.

    U have to agree on One thing If u’r review on VA is right then U’r review on Pokiri is thrash.

    But the Bottom Line is that u still have a long way to go writing reviews.

    As much as you try your best to Critize a movie. Please take some efforts to digest our comments as well.

    All you try to do is to correct someone’s spelling and Grammer, Crib abt your lost 15$, Comparing with a Hollywood Movie. u need to Understand that the movie is intended for Tamil Audiances and Not targeted for an Osacar or reach American people.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: the movie is intended for Tamil Audiances and Not targeted for an Osacar or reach American people

    For an idiot who can’t spell Oscar…you really bray too much.

    If they don’t want to reach American people (a lot of Indians in the U.S. are Americans), why are they releasing movies here?

    2. You write: Then don’t watch them atleast we would not have to look at these rottrn reviews

    Nobody is holding a gun to your head to read our Hindi or Tamil reviews.

    You come to the SearchIndia.com blog because you obviously derive some value here.

  34. cberameshin   November 15, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    You said: We have said this a gazillion times. It’s perfectly alright to compare movies across geography and time. At its basic level, movies are just a medium or form of entertainment.

    what u said is right…..but that doesn’t suit good to adaptations…..adaptation is different from remakes(or thefts).if u say there’s a link between VA and forrest gump,then it’s an adaptation……which is different frm remakes like saroja,pokiri etc…

    you’re effective in givin counter’s to whatever i say…..most not justifiable
    i think you better have your name as SAMALIPPU INDHIARGAL INSTEAD of SEARCHINDIA…that’s apt….(now what’s the counter for this??……you call me bull shit or what)

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: you call me bull shit or what

    No, we doubt we have ever called you names. 🙂

  35. bimmer   November 15, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    While you Think It is worthwhile reading your Non sense reviews and even more your rotten comments Its not a sin to forgive my Typo (Osacar..to Oscar)..and Glad that you could Identify that it was Oscar.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: While you Think It is worthwhile reading your Non sense reviews

    Actually, it’s thousands of readers like you who think that our reviews and considered responses to the comments have some value. 🙂

  36. Madhu1310   November 15, 2008 at 3:32 pm

    Its too obvious that SI doesn’t know how to review a movie..SI thinks writing the negatives about a movie and exaggerating them would make him a good critique…

    U gotta take a leaf out of critiques like Madan…

    Instead of trying to correct others spelling mistakes,SI can learn the art of writing a decent critique…I am quite sure SI is not Shakespeare to have mastered English.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: SI thinks writing the negatives about a movie and exaggerating them would make him a good critique

    Sad to say but 99.99% of Indian movies are plain garbage with nothing to recommend them. If anything, we are underplaying their faults.

    You just have to watch nightmares like Satyam or Drona to realize the depths Indian movies have descended to.

    To those who harbor delusions that Indian movies are going to take over the world, we say: Get real, folks. People would laugh these Bollywood & Kollywood buffoons off the screen anywhere but India.

    Forget Hollywood. Even Hungary (a country much smaller than the state of Tamil Nadu in India) made a lovely movie called Kontroll (2003), so unlike anything we’ve watched come from India in recent years.

    2. You write: Instead of trying to correct others spelling mistakes,SI can learn the art of writing a decent critique

    We have always said that occasional mistakes (spelling, grammatical or even factual are fine…After all errare humanum est).

    But it irritates us tremendously when a whole comment is riddled with spelling or factual errors. That shows lack of respect to us and to thousands of other readers like yourself who invest time in reading both the posts and the comments.

    So if you or other readers don’t like the insistence on a certain minimum quality, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

  37. the gora   November 15, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    Why does everyone love to hate SI? There’s nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade. If a movie sucks, it will suck whether it’s made in Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood, Germany, Brazil, France, etc.

    Most of the dissenters on here remind me of 8 year old girls who come out of each movie they see and tell everyone that it’s “the greatest movie EVER!” But 8 year old girls usually don’t have to pay for movies and are just happy to be there and don’t really think about things like plot or acting.

    SI has saved me much time and money over the past few months by helping me avoid fecal matter posing as a film reel projected into a theater. People should be grateful for SI’s no holds barred reviews.

    SI has standards. When a movie comes along and gets a good review, I will know that it’s definitely a movie worth seeing and not one to waste time and money on.

  38. bimmer   November 15, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    @ The Gora

    What you said applies to Bad movies. When a Movie is good..We all need to accept that the Movie is good

    If you Continue to Argue with a Fool like this Reviewer, He will take you down with his sheer experience of Stupidity.

    It is Not Wrong to Call a Spade a Spade, We have Watched the Movie too and We liked it.

    His Reviews are mostly Sterotype. Do u know a Guy called Venkadu (A Bharatthanatyam Critic); He thinks he is one such Critic. He cannot Justify his Reviews Instead comments on the $15 he has lost.

    What more can you comment on one who reviewed Thenali to a Garbage. If the reviewer things that 99.99% of Tamil movies are Garbage, according to Him Pokiri is the Greatest Movie that TFM has ever Produced.

    Democracy of Film Reviewing and Negative Critizism has reached a new level with this So-called Garbage Blog and Nonsense Review.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: What more can you comment on one who reviewed Thenali to a Garbage.

    Thenali is an insufferable lift of that nice Hollywood film What about Bob?

    Where What about Bob delights with fine performances by Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss, Thenali disgusts with its crude jokes, silly song/dance scenes and a pitiful performance by Jayaram.

    Readers can check for themselves. Both Thenali and What about Bob are available at Netflix.

    2. You write: according to Him Pokiri is the Greatest Movie that TFM has ever Produced.

    We never said Pokiri is the greatest movie that the Tamil film industry ever produced. We said it’s a good movie. There’s an ocean of a difference between a good movie and the greatest movie but you wouldn’t know it.

    You can’t write coherently. You can’t understand what you read. You probably can’t speak straight given your reading & writing disabilities.

    Wonder if you are capable of anything at all other than ranting against us.

  39. rskarthic   November 16, 2008 at 12:56 am

    u son of —–. how can u comment so bad on such a great film. which part of chennai are u from.. must be from cooum itself.. gautham has given the best frm a director and u can just comment. u dont deserve to live after giving such a review.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: u dont deserve to live after giving such a review

    So much agita over a review. Get a life, you dopehead.

    We seriously doubt you were born to humans.

  40. n_mukund1983   November 16, 2008 at 5:22 am

    I wonder if we watched the same movie. Or does SI think its super cool to trash indian movies and hail non-indian movies!! We know to appreciate Forrest Gump et al, but some us here probably relate better to Tamil films. I’d rather watch an imperfect Tamil movie than an out-of-the-world Hungarian Kontroll.

    SI said: “We seriously doubt you were born to humans.” Your vocabulary and unwarranted verbal assaults ain’t funny dude. Your wannabe rock star attitude sucks big time. Or perhaps, you’re such a pathetic loser in life that you want to vent your frustration here. Ofcourse this is your space and you can dish out whatever garbage you want, but you’re fast losing your credibility as a reviewer (if you were ever one)

    Talking about the movie itself, it was a greatttt effort and definitely deserves merit. There were flaws alright, but they never left a bad taste. I could go on and on about some of the wonderful portions of the movie, but I’d rather not waste my time trying to convince you.

    And SI said: “Except for the Adiye Kolluthey song (ugly picturization though), music in Vaaranam Aayiram is forgettable.”. Are you f***ing kidding me?!!! Nenjukkul peidhidum and Mundhinam paarthene are fabulous. And I don’t care if they were borrowed from some Latvian composer in some corner of the world.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: some us here probably relate better to Tamil films. I’d rather watch an imperfect Tamil movie

    You can cozy up to all the imperfections…After all, incestuous imperfections stick together.

    2. You write above: Your vocabulary and unwarranted verbal assaults ain’t funny dude.

    When folks say we deserve to die because of our review (as one of your country cousins did above), what would you have us do – tell them, please come shoot us.

    No Sir, we ain’t turning the other cheek.

    And you call our mild response to such threats an unwarranted assault…are you a complete dodo.

    3. You write: Talking about the movie itself, it was a greatttt effort and definitely deserves merit

    We ain’t paying $15 to appreciate pathetic efforts but to enjoy good results.

    This fella Gautham ‘inept’ Menon suffers from diarrhea of the mouth (look at the sheer length of the movie) & constipation of ideas (look at the pathetic end-result).

    Media reports from India suggest that the VA movie length has been cut by 15 minutes.

    We strongly recommend VA should be cut by 2 hours:45 minutes so that viewers can just watch Gautham’s cloying homage to his late father and leave.

  41. SRINIVAS   November 16, 2008 at 5:30 am

    Too many viewers seem to like VA ….. maybe its time to accept facts …

    BTW – you deleted the links from my post .. any specific reason

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Too many viewers seem to like VA …..

    Yeah, too many Germans liked that Jew-killer Hitler, too many Republicans here like our idiot President Bush, too many Tamils like that terrorist Prabhakaran, too many Gujjus like Modi… So what?

    There will always be clowns who’ll like anything – good, bad and ugly because they can’t distinguish good from bad or bad from ugly.

    2. You write: BTW – you deleted the links from my post .. any specific reason

    Yes, we deleted the links but left your references to the other reviews intact, which means serious readers (provided they’ve heard of Google) can still find the links without much sweat.

    SearchIndia.com was not set up to make it easy for other web sites to get traffic.

  42. sadhu   November 16, 2008 at 7:18 am

    i needed to ask u a question.u said vikram is the best in the younger lot.. I too agree to it.. And also agree to what you said bout vijay n ajith. But what’s the problem with surya? Now he is a good actor right.. Don’t you feel that.. What do u think about his previous performances and which one do u feel is the best?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. After Vikram, it’s definitely Surya in Tamil movies. We said that earlier too (when we compared just Surya, Vijay and Ajith).

    2. In terms of breadth – whether in the expressions or dialog delivery, Surya has ways to go.

    Examples of scenes in VA where the younger Surya was plain awful: When the father tells him at the college gate: You are on your own now. We are two grownup men. Take care kiddo. 2. The Oklahoma bombing scene or when he’s on the phone to his parents. That scene when he was on the phone was like seeing Sivaji Ganesan at his worst (scary thought, eh?). 3. The depth of his love for Meghna (Sameera Reddy) never comes through. It’s as if he was just going through the motions of love to get the check from the producer.

    In Forrest Gump, the depth of Tom Hanks’ love for Jenny comes through on several occasions. Examples 1. When he expresses his love to her in the house and promises to take good care of her 2. Toward the end, when Tom Hanks is standing by her grave under their favorite tree 3. When Tom Hanks assaults one of the customers at that strip-club because the guy was behaving badly with Jenny.

    We look at a movie as a marathon…it’s not enough for you to just lead in the first one hour or the middle of the race. You have to win the race…Surya’s problem is that in many scenes, he just loses it badly and ultimately loses the race.

    3. We liked Surya in Kaakha Kaakha. It was a lovely movie.

  43. sadhu   November 16, 2008 at 7:37 am

    u said vikram is the best among the younger lot.. I agree to it.. Also to what u said about Vijay and ajith too. But what about surya? He is good right? Don’t u think he is a good actor? Which movie do u think is his best? He has done his best in VA too. Right?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We have already responded at length to the points raised in your earlier comment (pl see above).

    We work on U.S. Eastern Time. So please be patient if your comment is not processed immediately.

    And No, Surya has not done the best in VA. It was a mediocre performance.

  44. skydragon   November 16, 2008 at 10:28 am

    i too accept critics is somewat harsh. but at the same time we need to accept the fact…i saw this movie today at arathana(chennai), audience really got restless during the last 40mins..literally they waiting for the movie to finish.no matter how it ends..

    To be honest, it is a simple movie with a boring ordinary climax…nobody can tolerate watching for 3hrs watching, multiple episodes of same men who is actually not the protagonist..director wants to make a tribute movie for Dads but failed to portray that, as script got much diluted by focussing more towards the son…
    anyway kudos to the contribution of Suriya, simran, harris jeyaraj, the cameraman.

    To me for as dad-son’s sentiments are concern recent tamil movies like thavamai thavamIrunthu, Em Magan scripts are much better the VA, that too with low budget of 3crores and made in less than 4months…

    so you can this movie for jus killing ur time…dont go with expectations…

  45. ajay relan   November 16, 2008 at 10:46 am

    Dei Ku***,

    If you feel cheated for paying $15, and watch it then come to kasi in chennai and buy RS 10 ticket and watch it cheap.
    or pay $12 and watch a strip show at edison, which is what would be the only job left in the apple..

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: pay $12 and watch a strip show at edison, which is what would be the only job left in the apple..

    Strip shows, lap-dances…oh, we love em buddy, we love em.

    Anna, if you tell us the address of the strip show joint at Edison (NJ), we’ll give you $3.60. Yes, we know you are a hard-working pimp so we won’t rob you of your commission.

    What did you like about the VA movie…you never told us.

    Like 16th century Europeans cheering a witch-burning at the stake, you just want to join the unruly mob.

    Get back to pimping, mongrel…after all, you have many whores to feed.

  46. swetha   November 16, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    hey whi is the one who have written the comments about the film…it really sounds disgusting and makes evryone feel the film is really bad..are u an indian to disgrace the relation of a father and a son.please do be careful in uttering ur words fr review for next films and fr ur sake its a very good slow moving film…nice to watch

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: makes evryone feel the film is really bad..

    You are right. Vaaranam Aayiram is not a bad film.

    It’s a disgusting piece of shit. Watch Forrest Gump and then you’ll realize why we called this VA crap as Cooum Dump.

  47. 13ghosts   November 16, 2008 at 3:06 pm

    I’ve been following SI for sometime and I totally enjoy your shred-dery of pathetic movies coming out of India. I spent nearly 250 bucks watching VA in a multiplex and I thought it was OK compared to other pieces of garbage recently.

    So I logged in to check how SI has reviewed it and I was a bit sad that you guys gave it the enema treatment. But as much as I enjoy your well-worded reviews as that of your quips on commentators, I had to forcibly shake out the sadness to enjoy your patient, justified and witty answers to heart-burnt repliers to your post.

    Parts of the film I liked – the teen Surya felt nostalgic to me – with baggy pants, chiding chicks et al

    Initially I was drawn to an attempted realistic screenplay but was dragged at may parts to put you to sleep.

    A coupla songs were good; Surya is getting good at acting.

    P.S On a diff note, Have you watched Akira Kurasawa’s ‘the Seven Samurai’, Yojimbo etc?

    P.P.S – ‘Taxi Driver’ seen yet? I thought this movie was better than the over-hyped Godfather series.

    Cheers!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. Let the naysaying cretins babble all they want, we insist Vaaranam Aayiram is completely inspired by Forrest Gump.

    So if you are going to make a movie borrowing techniques/ideas from another successful movie, you’d better deliver at least the same quality.

    Unfortunately, VA is not even a tenth as good as Forrest Gump. This Gauthan ‘inept’ Menon fella is an amateur. Kaaka Kaakha was an aberration in his career. A fluke.

    We’ve said this repeatedly to the whackos here (but it’s falling on deaf ears): Do not take our word for it. Watch Forrest Gump and then see Vaaranam Aayiram. Only then will you understand that VA is worse than kuppai (rubbish).

    2. You write: I thought it was OK compared to other pieces of garbage recently

    Guess, if you compare VA to offal like Satyam, Kuruvi, Aegan or Bheema, VA comes off looking better.

    But we hold Tamil & Hindi movies to a higher standard.

    3. You write above: ‘Taxi Driver’ seen yet? I thought this movie was better than the over-hyped Godfather series.

    Taxi Driver is excellent, one of our favorites. Here’s a quote from the movie (hope you like it):

    You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talking… you talking to me? Well I’m the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? Oh yeah? OK.

    Here’s the YouTube version of the scene.

    4. Added the Seven Samurai’ & Yojimbo to our Netflix queue. Thanks to Netflix, we have access to a cornucopia of films, both foreign and Indian.

  48. aneez   November 16, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    I have seen the movie twice and I am going again too. The movie is nice not bad at all and am sure its worth watching.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: I have seen the movie twice and I am going again too

    Do tell us which masochistic club you patronize.

    Hindus chant the Gayatri Mantra…Christians read the Bible…Muslims the Koran.

    In your case, your constant mantra must surely be Whip Me, Whip Me…Harder, Harder, Whip Me Harder, Please

    We’ve always wondered how Red Welts look on Dark Skin…could you please post some pictures?

  49. SRINIVAS   November 16, 2008 at 11:38 pm

    SI :Yeah, too many Germans liked that Jew-killer Hitler, too many Republicans here like our idiot President Bush, too many Tamils like that terrorist Prabhakaran, too many Gujjus like Modi… So what?

    There will always be clowns who’ll like anything – good, bad and ugly because they can’t distinguish good from bad or bad from ugly.

    Not many clowns can establish a link between a movie and Hitler ,Bush , Modi , Prabhakaran etc …. You may want to visit a Psychiatrist .. or maybe consider closing down the Website ..till you regain your senses

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: maybe consider closing down the Website

    We are probably the only ones reading your incoherent rants, illogical assertions and inept comments on the planet.

    Just think what’d happen to you if we also disappeared. You’d be left with only the mirror 🙁 .

    It’s out of compassion for desperately disturbed dummkopfs like you that we keep SearchIndia.com going.

  50. sugat123   November 17, 2008 at 12:03 am

    Phew!! So many people defending a bullshit movie. I hope people put their efforts in some important work.

    As for asundar41, who asked me what I did for my country?

    1) I dont spit on roads and litter on roads like my fellow countrymen.
    2) I show respect to women which our countrymen lack. Be it my mother, sister or any other women.
    3) I have taken intiative in my college to sponsor and spread awareness about AIDS and Thalessemia. I myself directed and acted in skit plays.
    4) I am a software engineer. We spare time to plant trees and also nurture them.

    The above are some of things I have done till date, I am 21 and achieved so much. You mongrel, tell me what are your achievements?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You are spreading awareness about the dangers of AIDS.

    Do you want to know the awareness this schmuck asundar41 is building?

    We’ll tell you. We did some research online and this is what we came up with.

    The idiot a.k.a. asundar41 has another Internet handle – a_shyam41 that he uses elsewhere – and also keeps a shitty little blog.

    This is what the dolt writes on his apology of a blog.

    I want to build awareness on this pathetic website of SearchIndia and make sure more and more people stop using it and spread the same information around….SearchIndia site should be abandoned and boycotted forvever

    What a world of difference.

    Some folks like you are building awareness on AIDS while other sanctimonious pigs want to build awareness of SearchIndia.com because of a critical review of a crappy movie called Cooum Dump a.k.a Vaaranam Aayiram.

  51. n_mukund1983   November 17, 2008 at 12:33 am

    SI says : “Let the naysaying cretins babble all they want, we insist Vaaranam Aayiram is completely inspired by Forrest Gump.”

    Gautham only said that he might have been influenced by Forrest Gump. Apart from the fact that both movies chronicle the life of a man, I dont believe this has anything to do with Forrest Gump. Of course Forrest was one of the finest pieces of work and its pointless to compare it with VA.
    That was about a dim-witted person, some fairy-tale like incidents in his life and his unrequited love for Jenny. Noone here (other than you) is dim-witted. And this is about a more pedestrian person and his father. And the incidents are more down-to-earth.
    So stop comparing this with Forrest Gump. And we’re tired of this $15-waste-of-money crap. Why don’t we all collect some change and piccha potufy $15 so that you can stop harping on and on about it.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Gautham only said that he might have been influenced by Forrest Gump….I dont believe this has anything to do with Forrest Gump

    Who cares what Gautham ‘inept’ Menon said or didn’t say.

    Who you gonna believe – Gautham Menon or your eyes.

    Cooum Dump a.k.a. Vaaranam Aayiram is heavily inspired by Forrest Gump and must be compared with that classic.

    2. You write above: Why don’t we all collect some change and piccha potufy $15 so that you can stop harping on and on about it.

    So generous of you but we suggest you keep it for your evening shot.

    Just because we were cheated of $15, it doesn’t mean that others should be too.

    Let people who are planning on seeing this Cooum Dump a.k.a. Vaaranam Aayiram be warned that this movie is a piece of crap before they squander their hardearned money.

  52. BIGBADMF   November 17, 2008 at 1:49 am

    you wrote:

    There’s Forrest Gump –

    Now listen:
    do you know that the so called classic “Forrest Gump” is a copy of a black n’ white Italian classic.

    you wrote:
    Oh wait, lest he open himself to charges of stealing Forrest Gump outright, …..

    Now listen:
    as per your stupid logic (trust you are not a software guy and if you are May Obama bless that company) any movie or story that has got a biopic touch is a copy of forrest gump, well then was Forrest Gump inspired from “Gandhi”?

    you wrote:
    Bottomline: Boring shit. The audience at Movie City (Edison, NJ) didn’t seem too engrossed and there was constant chitchat and moving about in the hall.

    Now listen:
    Next time when you go to watch a movie stop staring at people / boobs / otherman’s girl friend and WATCH the movie. a bunch of idiots sitting in Movie City (Edison, NJ) is NOT the standard to rate a movie.

    you wrote:
    really sick unless they see him puke blood on the bathroom floor?).

    now listen:
    take an oxford dictionary and look for the word “symptom”.

    you wrote:
    baby elephant Sameera Reddy is alright. Otherwise she bares her ugly fangs.

    now listen:
    for certain you are one of those loosers with either no girl friend tag or one which resembles a cow

    ultimatum:
    if you know nothing but write craps like what you wrote still consider the option of stop doing what you are doing! a lazy dog is much much better than an unnecessarily barking one.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Vandatanga comedy pasanga (here come the clowns).

    Even if Forrest Gump is a copy/adaption of an Italian B&W film, it’s still an extraordinary movie. One can’t say the same about Cooum Dump a.k.a. Vaaranam Aayiram.

  53. joeantony   November 17, 2008 at 3:35 am

    S.I: the frames keep getting split up on the screen

    I think they are trying to give you a real Desi movie theater experience. :). This is why I stopped going theaters here, moreover after reading your few reviews recently I should stop reading the reviews as well (save few mins and read the other interesting entries)

    Father – Son same actor – This is a BULLSHIT of indian cinema.

  54. asundar41   November 17, 2008 at 3:37 am

    Mr/Ms/Whatever Sugat!
    I appreciate you dont spit on the road, hmmm I believe that.
    You must spit on this site and………….
    maybe your image in the mirror…..
    well, the list of your goodies is the most deadening thing I have ever heard… Again I believe that!
    Great job done, PIGHEAD!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    With your personalized, silly attacks prompted by no more than hatred of this blog, you add no value here.

  55. singgakutty   November 17, 2008 at 5:29 am

    it is just a review.. why are some ppl here getting upset and calling each other kut**..

    i think for another 100 years, indians will still be idolizing tamil actors/actress (with stupid punch dialogue)..

    get a life!

  56. aditya_k   November 17, 2008 at 10:35 am

    father-son the same actor…..there’s an original,inspiring idea….something we have come up with on our own….what say SI??[:P] (i don’t see tamil movies but couldn’t help read the comments)

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: father-son the same actor…..there’s an original,inspiring idea

    What about a 60-year old bald grandfather jumping on the bed with a 20-yr old girl (like Rajinikanth with Shriya Saran in Sivaji)….That’s unique.

  57. aditya_k   November 17, 2008 at 3:18 pm

    forrest gump too employs the above idea (ancestors having same face)…remember forrest’s ancestor is shown riding a horse in the civil war (when forrest explains why his name is forrest),they share the same face….. what do you have to say about that???

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Good point but the pattern is more evident in in Hindi or Tamil movies where these double-roles & triple roles are more common.

  58. abit   November 17, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    Please stop this thread. Isn’t there a moderator for this? This promotes ill-will and contempt. Looks like everyone’s got their message accross. Everyone has their opinion. So stop this. Not going anywhere. I request the moderator if there’s one, to remove this posting as it’s worth nothing.

    And am sure the guy who wrote this original thread will reply with a smart alec answer, to get his stubborn point accross. He can do that and that hopefully will be the end of this thread. Let him have his cake.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Please stop this thread. Isn’t there a moderator for this? This promotes ill-will and contempt.

    Hey, we thought we’d closed all the sewage pipes around here to prevent rats coming in and fouling up this blog.

    Obviously, we left some openings since stray eli-kunjis (baby rats) keep appearing. Too bad, too bad.

    You still there? You are. Well, Good.

    Are you a complete retard…Since when did a review of a pathetic Tamil movie promote ill-will and contempt.

    Oh boy, you make our President (that Mission Unaccomplished serial idiot George Bush) seem like a genius.

    Scoot before we unleash the rat catcher on you.

    2. You write: And am sure the guy who wrote this original thread will reply with a smart alec answer, to get his stubborn point accross

    Don’t be sexist…you think women are incapable of managing blogs.

    Take our word, women are capable of anything. Yes, anything including giving birth to blithering idiots like you.

    3. You write: I request the moderator … to remove this posting as it’s worth nothing.

    What is your next request…To show you our crown jewels?

  59. kurf   November 18, 2008 at 1:21 am

    I really didn’t like VA.

    FORREST GUMP is an amazing movie.

    Watched it a record, 16 times and CAST AWAY 12 times.

    Here’s a little quiz SI. Name all the type of shrimps that Bubba tells Forrest while in the army.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich..

    Ways to cook shrimp – You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried.

    (Don’t tell anyone, OK…but we cheated…there’s this little thing called Google, ya know…anyway, this is just between us, Promise?)

    Like you, we found Forrest Gump to be an amazing film.

    But for Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca), Forrest Gump would have been our all-time favorite. You see we gave our heart to Ingrid long back…

    We’ll always have Paris (for us). (Famous line from Casablanca).

  60. ★TRΞY☆   November 18, 2008 at 7:57 am

    I watched “Transsiberian” with NCFOM-esque expectations and ended up disappointed… Came back and saw that Sanewar had only given it a “decent” rating. It was definitely very good, but I had very high expectations.. (The fact that Emily didn’t shed her clothes could be another reason for my disappointment). Or maybe I should replace my 20$ DVD player with a blu-ray.. to have enjoyed the beauty that impressed upper-case SRINIVAS.

  61. beni   November 18, 2008 at 2:50 pm

    Wow, thanks much for the review!

    I was looking forward to this movie until i chanced upon a terror inducing scene of Surya dancing in that library and a shockingly bad picturization of nenjukkul on Youtube.

    So your review is deftly making sense to me. $15 can go to new socks.

  62. bimmer   November 18, 2008 at 4:26 pm

    Joeantony

    U r a poor Pathetic piece of s***…Are u all American Now. U poor [Trash Talk].

    Go get a Life dude. U can watch Forrest Gump where a Mom can sleep with the teacher to get her son to college but u cannot watch VA. Probably u have some mental disorder.

    Sugat

    Same applies to you too.. if u think u’r all americal, stop reviewing a tamil movie.

    BTW Joeantony and Sugat.. I feel pity for u..U pathetic piece of s***

  63. asdf963   November 18, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    Did u guys like Surya’s acting in Ghajini. I thought he was pretty good.

    Off topic: You guys should watch Road to Perdition, it features Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, among others. Its really good!!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: Did u guys like Surya’s acting in Ghajini.

    Watched Ghajini a few years back…can’t remember too much about it now.

    As we’ve said earlier, among the youngsters in Kollywood Surya is second only to Vikram.

    2. You write: You guys should watch Road to Perdition

    We will.

    But tonight it’s going to be The Exorcism of Emily Rose (based on the recommendation of a SearchIndia.com blog reader).

  64. mihi_rex   November 18, 2008 at 6:21 pm

    In the words of John Wilkes Booth, a paragon of excellence, “Sic semper tyrannis.”

    I am referring both Goutham Menon and you.

    You rule this blog like your voice is the only one that really has any value and punish any who disagree with you with your powerful, soul crushing words. Even an absolute idiot can see the striking difference in quality between the two movies. Its like comparing Nayagan with the Godfather. If these brainless users (with some exceptions) were not able to identify these differences they obviously have very little knowledge of movies.

    P.S: I am referring to the mistranslated form of the phrase, since it strongly applies to you!!!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Your comment sounds like one of those menacing We know where you live threats made by thugs.

    If (and this is a big If) that indeed is your message, so be it.

  65. kurf   November 18, 2008 at 6:38 pm

    Hey SI,

    Searching via Google is the easy way out.

    Knowing the lines and phrases is the mark of a true fan like you did for Casablanca. Just saw it yesterday, it is an amazing movie. Bogart, Ingrid and Henreid are excellent actors. Present indian movies, especially tamil love movies should learn a thing or two from movies like Casablanca and Rear Window (dont know whether you have seen it).

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Just added Rear Window to Netflix queue. We are sure you referred to the 1954 (James Stewart, Grace Kelly) version and not the recent (Christopher ‘Superman’ Reeve) version.

    Casablanca is one movie we can watch again and again and again and still not get bored. It’s hard to believe Hollywood was making classics like that in the early 1940s and we are still making garbage like Aegan and Satyam.

    Time to round up the usual suspects (remember these words from Casablanca?) in Kollywood and hold them accountable for the garbage they are shovelling to the audience and mislabelling them as movies.

    If India had strong mislabelling laws, most film directors in Tamil Nadu would be behind bars.

  66. barneystinson   November 18, 2008 at 6:49 pm

    Joke of the century “You are on the SearchIndia.com blog, the best source for Bollywood, Kollywood & Hollywood reviews.”
    What qualifications are required to be a movie critic, let me think.
    10-15 bucks to buy a ticket, a netflix account – thats probably what you think. It probably takes more than that. Its so easy to do what you do. Watch a tamil/hindi movie, write crap about it and watch an english movie, for the most case, write “it was pretty decent”. If you want your review to be taken seriously, stop with all the bs name calling, its offensive. We are not kids who find swearing to be funny. If you could stop all the comparisons, name calling, I guess it’d be much fair.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: Its so easy to do what you do. Watch a tamil/hindi movie, write crap about it and watch an english movie, for the most case, write “it was pretty decent”.

    Obviously, you never passed a Reading Comprehension test in your life.

    Think for just a second (we know that’s too long a period for your ADDled brain but do try), do you really think if we are just writing rubbish (as you insinuate) that readers would keep coming back. By suggesting that, you are insulting our readers.

    And that’s really stupid because you know (hopefully) as well as we do that readers today have a cornucopia of choice and no one can pull the wool over their eyes.

    Since we are forever mindful of the fact that readers can vote with their keyboard anytime they want (unlike the eight years it took to get rid of our idiot President), there’s always tremendous pressure on us to put out good stuff, which we do. And if we don’t, we’re just one mouse-click from being cast aside.

    2. Whether it is Hollywood, Bollywood or Kollywood, we call it like it is.

    Oftentimes, our views coincide with the box office response and sure, on some occasions, it doesn’t.

  67. n_mukund1983   November 18, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    SI said: do you really think if we are just writing rubbish (as you insinuate) that readers would keep coming back.

    I disagree!! Often times, those that are ridiculously stupid and downright crazy are also popular. For instance, I’m sure many people watch TR’s interviews and dances when they want to laugh their guts out.

    So, you’re being over optimistic about your popularity!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We have never said nor do we believe we are popular. Pride comes before a fall is the motto we live by.

    All that we said was that we are not writing rubbish and if we were readers wouldn’t come back.

    From that to jump to you’re being over optimistic about your popularity is not only absolute nonsense but also a classic example of a non sequitur.

    Since you find it so hard to understand simple English, you ought to give serious consideration to migrating to a Tamil blog called Manga Madaya that someone, somewhere surely is authoring for cretins like you.

    Next time you want to be sarcastic, get your logic right. Vandatanga pa comedy pasanga.

  68. n_mukund1983   November 18, 2008 at 11:46 pm

    SI said (with all seriousness): Pride comes before a fall is the motto we live by.

    ROFL dude. When your unjustifiably inflated ego doesn’t allow you to digest one comment against you and your crazy review, this is a perfect case of an oxymoron.

    Yaaru yaara manga madayan nu koopadanum nu vevasthaye illama pochu :-D. And I’m quite certain the tamil blog Manga madaya will make a better read than your cooum dump.

    I’m convinced you’re a 3rd grade, hot-headed, immature joker who thinks its fad to swear and call people names. Given your mental instability, we should have known better than to argue over this garbage of a review. My apologies! But I have to admit that its thoroughly entertaining.

    “Vandhutaanga pa loosu pasanga”

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Ego, us? Surely, you must have someone else in mind.

    Seriously, we’ve said this a gazillion times and we’ll tell that one more time for the benefit of handicapped souls like you. (You see, we’re not deficient in compassion here when it comes to mental deficients like you).

    Watch Forrest Gump and then watch Vaaranum Aayiram.

    You’ll come crawling on all fours and beg forgiveness from us for even considering VA to be a movie.

  69. aneez   November 19, 2008 at 3:44 am

    Its acceptable that you dont like that movie and it is not that everyone should agree to what all you say. May be its true that the movie did not match the expectations but it has got something you will not know it now. To realize what it has got one must have sixth sense and am sorry I guess its no use talking to you about the sixth sense and for god sake dont start writineg a review about Manoj Knight Shamalans Sixt Sense and I guess you will write review about it and would compare it with Kuruvi or Onnan 😀 and hold on one second “Hey Keyboard have I said anything non-sensical today ” Keyboard : Not at all you are on target, may be you are non-sensical to people without Sixth Sense 😀 Upon readin again and again I have understood one thing that is you have seen Forest Gump 😀 somewere. Am sure tom hanks would commit suicide if he knows that. There is no other shame to Forest Gump other than you praising it 😀 comedy. And varanam aayiram is something about love its not touchy but its better a try and I could not understand how you say that Surya has not performed any good. He has made it perfect. At first review your review (Aneez come on man you are turning out to be awesome reviewer not like S.I :P). Learn to write reviews and to be hones Coouvam is far better then what you call as review :D.

    [Links deleted because they show pictures of some hulking clown not Cooum]

    You Write

    “Its acceptable that you dont like that movie and it is not that everyone should agree to what all you say. May be its true that the movie did not match the expectations but it has got something you will not know it now. To realize what it has got one must have sixth sense and am sorry I guess its no use talking to you about the sixth sense and for god sake dont start writineg a review about Manoj Knight Shamalans Sixt Sense and I guess you will write review about it and would compare it with Kuruvi or Onnan 😀 and hold on one second “Hey Keyboard have I said anything non-sensical today ” Keyboard : Not at all you are on target, may be you are non-sensical to people without Sixth Sense 😀 Upon readin again and again I have understood one thing that is you have seen Forest Gump 😀 somewere.”

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We agree not only today people can wipe us anytime of the week “Whip us, Whip us…Harder, Harder, Whip Me Harder, Please”

    Last time you wrote: “We’ve always wondered how Red Welts look on Dark Skin…could you please post some pictures”.

    and I guess you must be feeling it now. If not I dont care 😀 Varanam aayiram rocks 😀

    *********************************************************************

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Korangu kaile poomale, aneez kaile keyboard…the end result is the same.

    Have you tried reading what you keyboarded (what you’ve accomplished above definitely does not fall in the category of writing)…Utter garbage.

    On your tombstone will be inscribed the words: Here lies the object that helped to coin the term ‘Keyboarded‘ meaning a blithering idiot who merrily types away nonsense at the sheer joy of having access to a keyboard.

    May you live to be a hundred.

  70. Mars   November 19, 2008 at 9:19 am

    Goutham is the real villain of this movie.
    But haris composed beautiful songs. i enjoyed only songs.

  71. sanewar   November 19, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    @trey – want to watch a great movie – watch 400 blows – french.
    try 13 tzameti – georgian

  72. m199   November 19, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    i thought we have movie reviews here…all i can see is a battle field…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Yeah, it sure resembles the Kurukshetra at times. 🙂

    We do have movie reviews – Kollywood, Bollywood & Hollywood.

  73. ★TRΞY☆   November 19, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    Sanewar, thanks .. Currently I only watch new releases using the weekly Monday free movies(recession!) in the redbox kiosk.. so I don’t have access to foreign movies.

    One day I will get the Samsung blu-ray disc 2500 player(when it becomes

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Looks like the second line in the above comment is incomplete.

  74. gandhiji   November 19, 2008 at 7:58 pm

    yeah… i put the lesser than symbol there.. the friggin thing must have thought that it is an incomplete html tag.

    i want to get the blu-ray player when it is less than 100.. because it has a tie-up with netflix

    I also mentioned that Fran̤ois Truffaut (director of 400 blows Рwho i had not known before today) was also recommended by BIGMADBF.

  75. 13ghosts   November 20, 2008 at 2:02 am

    I guess it’s something in human psyche to oppose opposition. It is perfectly natural to see why SI gets so many hate-commentators. I specialize in understanding the emotions behind an action in my profession (sales / mktg) but the same applies everywhere.

    People (a majority) already have made up thier minds that VA is good / good to watch because of various factors. And because they see such rebuttal of a critical review, impulsively they have to defend it.

    Add to this, Search India’s reviews are easily found (by Search engines) which leads to more people coming to SI only to stay glued here (whether they like it or not).

    Though I don’t completely agree with you (on movie reviews in general) I’m hooked to opinions that no-one dares to do otherwise. Mainstream media (TV, Papers etc) have always given boring, over the top reviews..

    Keep the cacophony on!

  76. 13ghosts   November 20, 2008 at 2:05 am

    Guys, maybe you can try paginating your comments. This page has gotten awfully long. Check this plugin – http://www.keyvan.net/code/paged-comments/

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’ll look into it.

    If we don’t do it, it’ll be because we didn’t like it or conflict with other stuff.

    You think conflict on this forum is the conflict we’ve dealt with…No. We’ve battled conflict in the IT arena for longer..drivers, software, plugins, incompatibilities,. OS issues, database issues, OS upgrades, Linux vs MSFT, MySQL vs ORCL, tape vs drives…the list goes on

  77. gandhiji   November 20, 2008 at 8:47 am

    I vote against paged comments.. (as if my vote counts!)

    like 13ghosts, although I think your reviews are very harsh, I love the ensuing melee.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: although I think your reviews are very harsh

    You said the same thing two or three days ago…Are Bimmer’s harsh comments getting to you?

    We’ve said it a gazillion times…Au contraire, for decades, we (and surely many other Indian movie buffs) have been at the receiving end of harsh treatment at the hands of Indian movie directors and actors.

  78. 1012900   November 20, 2008 at 8:53 am

    hmmmmm… i dunno about the movie…as I’m yet to watch it… Most of my 4nds who watched the movie said it was OK.. i really don’t know.. But i LOVED the songs in Vaaranam Aayiram… my favs are Adiye kolluthey and Mundhinam… am really surprised SI didn’t like the music in VA.. 😮

  79. gandhiji   November 20, 2008 at 10:43 am

    Psycho retard bimmer (i don’t get perturbed by idiots like him..) certainly deserves harsh treatment.. I couldn’t have been harsher, but you would have edited it out 🙂

    i hold indian movies to low standards.. and i don’t travel a long distance or pay 15$ to watch movies.. so i am probably more forgiving than you. you have an unenviable job 🙂 just kidding..

    I have the SiK DVD.. going to watch it soon.. will let you know how I felt. I was almost tempted to get the Tropic Thunder DVD from redbox today.. but I am so cheap that I am going to wait till Monday to get my free rental.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    As most readers would agree, we very rarely edit stuff out. Otherwise, you wouldn’t see so much vociferous criticism of us here.

    Unless it’s very abusive language, we usually let things pass.

  80. komanavalli2   November 20, 2008 at 8:59 pm

    I am not going to offend you by using inappropriate words or “argue” with you about anything, at all…just found a little thing and want to clarify…

    “Using Forrest Gump to trigger interest in a movie is dangerous because it’s very hard to match the classic.”

    This is from YOU….from the post of vaaranam aayiram showtimes in USA! It’s VERY hard to match the classic…hmm, weren’t YOU the one shouting/talking/barking in the cooum dump comparing vaaranam aayiram and forrest gump?

    Any answers, comments?!?!?!?

    Friends, we can also take this as a compliment…that vaaranam aayiram can be compared to a HOLLYWOOD movie…which simply brings kollywood…or at least vaaranam aayiram crew to the next level!

    Yes, ur page is full of comments…yes, ur web is getting more and more popular…yes, ur glad that u brought this review or so called “cooum dump” up…and yes, everything turned out the way you expected!
    So, are u finally happy now? 🙂

    By the way, please don’t be tensed ALL the time…u may cause a headache to the readers…if u can’t do that….it’s good to smile…once in a while, at least..very important to your future health! 🙂

    I really am sorry IF I embarrassed/insulted you in the public, in any way….but simply had no other choice. 🙂 And thank u for wasting my time!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: weren’t YOU the one shouting/talking/barking in the cooum dump comparing vaaranam aayiram and forrest gump?

    Barking, us? Oh sure, a b***h would definitely understand barking. Are you in heat baby because we felt someone sniffing at our…?
    (Didn’t your Mama ever teach you to talk nice)

    Now that we’ve dispensed with the insult that you brought down on your hair (not head) by insulting us…let’s get down (no, not what you think) to business.

    2. Tis’ true that it’s very hard to match a timeless classic like Forrest Gump because that requires dedication and mastery of the craft in all involved in making the movie.

    Can you even dream of an Indian movie-maker coming up with such a simple concept of a guy (Forrest) sitting on a nondescript bench at a bus stop and narrating his life story to a series of passersby?

    Anyway, as the old saying goes, hope lies eternal in the human breast. And we had some hope that Gautam Menon, Surya et al would at least make a good faith effort to put out something watchable.

    Unfortunately, our hopes were in vain and Vaaranam Aayiram turned out to be a piece of crap.

    For the simple reason that Gautam & Surya turned Darwin’s Theory of Evolution on its head. Mamma Mia, they proved that with more experience, you can actually make worse movies. Now, isn’t that really something.

    Forget Tom Hanks. Even Bubba was a million times better than Surya.

    BTW komanavalli2, Quando podeces te regina eorum fecerunt?

  81. n_mukund1983   November 20, 2008 at 11:50 pm

    SI said: Oh sure, a b***h would definitely understand barking. Are you in heat baby because we felt someone sniffing at our…?

    You’re going overboard with your comments dude. What are you trying to prove with your comments and reviews? That’s you’re a rebel who defies convention and is above everyone else?

    I wonder if you’re half as loud mouthed and acerbic in real life. Ofcourse not. You’d be whipped and buried in a day. So, the only thing you’re proving here is a that you’re a two-faced coward who goes on ranting because he’s a good safe distance away.

    And “Caput tuum in ano est”. Two can play this stupid game of quoting in languages people don’t understand.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: What are you trying to prove with your comments and reviews?

    A Kiss is just a Kiss (remember the song and the movie?)

    And Our Reviews are just Reviews, mon cheri.

    2. You write: You’re going overboard with your comments dude

    No sweetie. We respond to politeness with politeness and insults with insults. The idiot we responded to started off rude about us barking,,,so we had to respond appropriately lest it fouls up this fine blog.

    3. You write: I wonder if you’re half as loud mouthed and acerbic in real life

    No, honey. We’re the quite, meek, docile, butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-our-mouth sort. 🙂

    4. You write: That’s you’re a rebel who defies convention

    Far from it..We are no inconoclast or rebel…just an ordinary straight arrow (extremely conventional).

  82. komanavalli2   November 21, 2008 at 12:45 am

    I am trying to be as nice as I can after all the swearings you did on this page! And I see this word in the very first line….please, try to be nice! Not so hard..just try, you will love it! You may not like advices, but do consider taking positive things..no harm done!!

    YOU WRITE ABOVE://(Didn’t your Mama ever teach you to talk nice)//

    Are you sure ur talking to me? I’m not even sure if it’s you…the you refers to the person that wrote this “review”

    YOU WRITE ABOVE: //Can you even dream of an Indian movie-maker coming up with such a simple concept of a guy (Forrest) sitting on a nondescript bench at a bus stop and narrating his life story to a series of passersby?//

    If you want the concept of a guy sitting on a nondescript bench at a bus stop and narrating his life story, wouldn’t you say that as a copy? Or wouldn’t you compare where his feet were and where his eyes were wandering?
    Why should I dream when all these tamil films (autograph, thullaadha manamum thullum, pithamagan, kannum kannum, paruthiveeran, pallikoodam, etc) are already released with the “simple concept”.(I AM NOT GOING TO ADD VAARANAM AAYIRAM…coz that’s just not leading where I want it to…)

    I am just curious if your against just vaaranam aayiram or the whole tamil movie industry…If your against it, simple: just don’t watch it…we have better viewers than you, honestly!

    YOU WRITE ABOVE: BTW komanavalli2, Quando podeces te regina eorum fecerunt?

    Do you think I know what that means? Well, I don’t and I don’t want to know!

    Talking just creates more violence in you…and I can’t believe you think that’s fun…I really hope you aren’t harsh to every people you meet….if you are, I feel sorry for them! 🙁

    Just coz I said this, don’t collect swearing words from everywhere and pour it here…better if you pick up garbages and do some “community service”…do you even know what I am talking about? I am sorry if you don’t!

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. Regarding Paruthiveeran (you mention the movie above), we have yet to watch it.

    For some reason, the movie never made it to the East Coast. We’ll try to watch it one of these days.

    2. You write: I am just curious if your against just vaaranam aayiram or the whole tamil movie industry

    We are not against anyone, not even an obvious retard like you.

    The milk of human kindness overfloweth in our veins.

    We love the Tamil film industry. Our best memories are of watching Tamil & Hindi films.

  83. mallukuttan   November 21, 2008 at 9:40 am

    Haven’t seen Forrest Gump yet (oh sure i’ll be renting that one soon) didn’t feel VA as bad as you described. Probably my view might change after i watch FG.

    PS: Read somewhere, you enjoyed chandramukhi. It’s a mere piece of shit or worser compared to the original manichitrathazhu. If possible rent the DVD with subtitles and you will come to know 😉

    SearchIndia.com Responds via iPhone:

    We’ll see if we can get manichitrathazhu.

  84. mallukuttan   November 21, 2008 at 11:44 am

    Did anyone notice? Adiye kolluthen is a mix of Ballbreaker & ARR’s endrendrum punnagai frm alaipayuthey..

  85. komanavalli2   November 22, 2008 at 1:25 am

    To be honest, I am surprised by your reply!…no swears…way to go!

    YOU WRITE ABOVE: //Regarding Paruthiveeran (you mention the movie above), we have yet to watch it.

    For some reason, the movie never made it to the East Coast. We’ll try to watch it one of these days.//

    It’s a typical village movie (you may not like it if you are one of those “peters”)…I guess that’s probably why it didn’t release there…
    Why don’t you just watch it online? (oops, am I just telling you to come up with more reviews?)

    YOU WRITE ABOVE: //We are not against anyone, not even an obvious retard like you.//

    I never said you were against me…and you didn’t need to say that!..(cool down)

    YOU WRITE ABOVE: //We love the Tamil film industry. Our best memories are of watching Tamil & Hindi films.//

    Really…that’s nice to hear (or see)! Not all tamil films are perfect, maybe not at all, but poor directors have to be aware of the money where hollywood don’t have a lot of trouble with….

    I am just going to add my opinion (OPINION..I wouldn’t call this as a review, for God’s sake!) of this movie…YOU DON’T HAVE TO REPLY (infact…don’t even read it, u might get pissed off!)

    [deleted because the retard wote a 447-word review here NOT a comment]

    NOW, DON’T SCREAM AT ME FOR WRITING A REVIEW THAT’S TOTALLY OPPOSITE FROM YOURS!!!

    Peace….

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. This forum is for you to write comments not post 447-word reviews.

    2. You must be Gautham Menon’s alter ego…You write so much but have so little to say.

    Stick to making Paruppu Vadai.

    Writing is not your cup of tea (but making a cup of tea is also probably not your cup of tea)

  86. beni   November 22, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    ok..i saw the movie and i liked it! has its flaws but it’s an easy to watch, sweet flick. Does it deserve such a bad review? and what does it have to do with Forrest Gump?

    And hey, that’s totally uncalled for – the Gautam Menon and his dad bit. not right.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: has its flaws

    If ever there is a prize for understatements, you’ll win hands down.

    No, the whole movie is flawed.

    VA falls short in every department – Acting, story, screenplay, music, except in the unendurable length.

    Media reports from India say the movie’s length has now been chopped in theatres there.

    WTF were the idiots doing before releasing the movie here…too poor to afford a competent editor or director?

    2. You write above: what does it have to do with Forrest Gump

    What planet do you live on?

    This whole concept of looking at various facets of a the life of an ordinary man over several decades is obviously inspired from Forrest Gump.

    Some techniques like flashback, themes like destiny, army, elusive love (in both, the hero gets the girl after much effort but alas only for a short duration before she dies) … not only appear in both movies but are also very important.

    Since when has Tamil film industry been known for innovative themes/stories…As Emily Wax recently wrote in the Washington Post, fighting & flirting constitute their raison d’etre.

    Are you telling us these most unoriginal clowns in Kollywood suddenly became original?

    VA is an Indianized, crappified version of Forrest Gump.

    3. You write: i saw the movie and i liked it!

    OK, you passed the stiff endurance test. You qualify for direct admission to the Indian Army.

  87. beni   November 22, 2008 at 9:01 pm

    I see the whole Forrest Gump connection now!

    I just don’t get where you’re coming from saying the story, screenpay, acting was no good. Is that because you’re holding it up to Forrest Gump standards?
    I’m asking ‘cos i genuinely thought it was good!
    I don’t know if i would have liked Varanam Aayiram better if it had been made to appeal to western sensibilities.
    I thought it was a nice tribute to his dad. Liked all of the nineties bits and ahhhhhhh…all of it.
    shucks, it was good! I liked it.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. No, it has nothing to do with appealing to Western sensibilities (in any case, most readers here are desis and 99% viewers of Vaaranam Aayiram are going to be ethnic Indians).

    The disappointment with Vaaranam Aayiram has to do with the amateurish treatment in every facet of the movie.

    2. You write: I thought it was a nice tribute to his dad.

    For the most part, ticket-paying moviegoers usually don’t care whether it was a nice tribute to dad or grandad. All they care about is whether the movie is worth the time & money.

    And VA fails to deliver.

  88. SRINIVAS   November 23, 2008 at 11:59 am

    Overall Everybody liked the movie …since its different from the regular masala fare dished out …except for the length and slow pace of the movie … there was a joke on this in the movie hall where I watched ….the movie was renamed as Vaarnam Rendu (Two) Aayiram and then Vaarnam Anj (five) Aayiram … towards the end

    Gautham should have paid more attention to these factors …Surya – Sameera Reddy Scenes were novel … Divya i felt was a let down compared to her performance in Polladhavan … her accentuated Tamil was a horror … Simran was good ….

    The real stars were Surya and Harris Jeyaraj .. the music simply rocks

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: since its different from the regular masala fare dished out

    You are right and you are wrong.

    Inspired by Forrest Gump, Vaaranam Aayiram is different from the frivolous boy-meets-girl-four-fights-five-songs-Vadivelu/Vivek comedy soporific nonsense we encounter often in Tamil movies.

    But it’s the same as far as the end-result goes – boring piece of junk. Mediocre acting, lousy screenplay, hopeless direction, virtually no editing…

  89. beni   November 23, 2008 at 10:37 pm

    The acting was not mediocre and the direction wasn’t hopeless. I liked it.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: I liked it.

    This is the third time you’ve used the same words (twice on Nov 22 and once on Nov 23).

    What tricks are you trying here?

    Are you a spammer trying to drum up support for this crappy movie…otherwise why would you say I like it thrice in two days?

  90. SRINIVAS   November 24, 2008 at 1:26 am

    mallukuttan : Did anyone notice? Adiye kolluthen is a mix of Ballbreaker & ARR’s endrendrum punnagai frm alaipayuthey..

    The initial 30 sec’s of Adiye kolluthe wherein you hear the guitar peice is a straight lift from AC/DC song called Love Bomb ..
    AC-DC_20-_20Love_20Bomb.mp3 …get it from You Tube .. rest is original ..

    Endrendrum Punnagai — No .. Guitar is used to that effect regularly in rock songs .. so can’t call that a lift

    What is Ballbreaker ? – song name or Band name ..is it available in the net ..so that I can listen ?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: What is Ballbreaker ? – song name or Band name ..is it available in the net ..so that I can listen?

    Ballbreaker is an album from AC/DC (For more, see Wiki)

    For the song, go here.

    Mallukuttan probably knows more.

  91. shuaib82   November 24, 2008 at 4:23 am

    [Trash Talk]

  92. shuaib82   November 24, 2008 at 10:09 am

    [Trash Talk]

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’ve said this a gazillion times. Vaaranam Aayiram is a piece of shit.

    Look at the pathetic box office response in UK.

    If we were Surya or Gautam Menon, we’d hang our heads in shame.

    As we’ve already told readers, to spend money or time on this piece of junk would be sinful (particularly in these dire economic times).

    Stay away from this awful movie. Life’s too short to be wasted on trifles like Vaaranam Aayiram.

  93. gk   November 25, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    What was wrong with Adiye Kolluthey’s picturization ?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    It was a graceless perversity.

    Surya was leaping about like there were wasps stinging his cojones.

    As for Sameera singing (lip-syncing), reminded us of the Cluny School nuns singing the Lord’s praise with not the least bit of passion.

  94. Dev Bhai   November 26, 2008 at 7:42 am

    [Trash Talk]

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’ve always wondered what someone born to asses would do if it were presented with a keyboard. Today, we got our answer.

  95. valparai   November 27, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    I liked VA. SI obviously hates it, just like many of my friends 🙂 But the best part is the comments and the replies here. I thoroughly enjoyed the quips by SI. Lots of angry folks sounding like carter in citizen kane and replies laden with sarcasm from SI has certainly made my day 🙂 SI’s loathing with dyslexic posts is something I share too. BTW, recently watched the movie cool hand luke and like it a lot. But that I liked VA too might make you leery, which I can empathize with 🙂 A quote from the movie is a perfectly fits the furious posters here:
    What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.

    SI, I thoroughly enjoyed your scathing replies. Please keep the good work up 🙂

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’ll try to watch Cool Hand Luke soon (most likely next Thursday) & maybe even review it here.

    But first we’ve to watch Dil Chata Hai tomorrow to celebrate the providential escape of a frequent reader of this blog from the VT station blast.

    According to Wiki, the U.S.Library of Congress deemed the Oscar winner (George Kennedy, Best Supporting Actor) Cool Hand Luke to be “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

  96. sanewar   November 28, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    i watched vaaranam aayiram recently and didnt like it. also i dont find any reason for comparing it with forrest gump, as both movies completely different in its basic theme, though the narration is almost similar (biographical). one thing for all those fighting here with searchindia , searchindia is a guide for NRI s living in U.S., not for all the tamil guys, your view towards a movie is totally different when you grow up in an environment like united states, than in india. So, think that whatever SI reviews is for american indians (if they still feel that they are indians), not for actual resident indians…,

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    We’re not sure if Indian-Americans are that different from their counterparts back home.

    Of course, after living here for a long time attitudes to some extent change because Indian-Americans are exposed to the local culture, more Hollywood/foreign movies and the like.

    But by any standard, Vaaranam Aayiram was not a good film.

    Regarding the Forrest Gump comparison, we won’t go into it again because we’ve already dealt with it earlier.

  97. shuaib68   November 29, 2008 at 3:59 am

    Hey! for a moment, I thought my comments were downgraded to “TRASH TALK” level.

    So, this (shuaib82) is a new poster. Thank God he’s not an imposter. Haa,haa.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write: I thought my comments were downgraded to “TRASH TALK” level

    Oh, No. 🙂

  98. pidginboy   November 29, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    exactly!!
    indha padatha ‘good superb’ nu sonnavanugallam ‘real’a kanna thirandhu ‘mind’ a use panni than pathangala, illa baa nu ukkandhu thoongittangala… 3 hrs continuous a ukkandhu pathavan laam ippa mental ayittanuga. paru da , gautham menon direct panna adhu periya kaviyama…. gautham menon sucks. indha padatha beautiful nu sonna unna seruppalaye saathanum. ella moonjiyum aludhu vadiyuthu pakkave sagikkala, old surya korangu madhiri irukkan. idhu oru padam? daddy daddy …. kadaisila daddy body ayidran avlo than. dont watch this shit cinema na life a marandhutu enjoy pandrathuku poviya,, tamil serial madiri alu moonji padam, javvu…. oru thrill, twist edhuvum illadha indha padam verum sappa.over english torture vera. thu. daddy I love you… you will be alright ennanga da idhu

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. God, please don’t inflict this Tamil torture on us.

    This is NOT a Tamil blog. Idha eththanavati solradhu (how many times should we repeat this)?

    Use of the occasional Tamil word/phrase is definitely OK provided you include the Tamil translation in brackets.

    In future, we will delete comments that are completely in Tamil or fail to carry translations.

    Purinjada (understood), saar?

  99. Sekhar   December 1, 2008 at 5:27 am

    Whoever wrote this review doesn’t understand the pulse of Indian cinema and its audience…its a good movie and definitely worth watching…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: Whoever wrote this review doesn’t understand the pulse of indian cinema and its audience

    Really? Then why is the box office response not encouraging?

    Vaaranam Aayiram is a crappy film. Period.

  100. asdf963   December 1, 2008 at 11:48 pm

    In honor of writing the 100th comment on this page, I respond by saying “enna kodumai sir idhu?!! (with Premji Amaran’s awkward facial expression) to this warfare. Don’t you agree?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Yes. 🙂

    Sometimes we think Bollywood fans don’t have even half the passion of their Kollywood counterparts.

  101. Þórarinsdóttir   December 2, 2008 at 1:50 am

    Premji Amaran’s expression was actually a dig at Prabhu’s legendary expression in Chandramukhi..
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEjwPVI5yFU&feature=related

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Yes, but Premji does it better.

  102. pidginboy   December 2, 2008 at 4:47 am

    adhellam enakku theriyadhu. ur writing about tamil film and it is not a tamil blog? sari sari it sucks

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Enna Koduma Sir Idhu (what agony)

  103. Þórarinsdóttir   December 2, 2008 at 8:32 am

    yeah full credit to Premji (or Venkat Prabhu?) for making it so popular.. Prabhu’s was unintentionally funny.

  104. gk   December 6, 2008 at 3:31 am

    no reviews of slumdog millionaire ? not yet seen?

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    The movie is still in limited release…our nearest Slumdog Millionaire theatre is about 208 km away (roundtrip). Tired of driving…hence the delay.

    We’ll see if we can do it this weekend.

  105. Pingback: movie reviews « .cos somethings you will never understand.

  106. fredforsyth   December 21, 2008 at 5:11 am

    first of, this is india, this is a tamil movie… in this realm, u go watch a tamil movie, u DONT expect an oscar, so STOP comparing it with forest gump, we all love forest gump, but i assure u, tom hanks wud’n be able to appeal to tamil tastes… i mean ur comparin apples and oranges!!! how silly!!! and really, the way u went on a hate tirrade of VA… it seems ur really really negative, or very confused, or jus plain jobless… and yes now u’ll give a personal attack to my comment like all de others… but dude… pls, y be so damn negative?…i mean ur BAD and OFF THE MARK REVIEW is wat comes up wen we search goole for VA review!!!
    ARE YOU GETTIN PAID TO PURPOSELY DEFAME DE MOVIE?!!!!
    IT SEEMS SO!!!!

    WAT EVER UR GOIN TO SAY AFR MY COMMENT,
    VAARANAM AAYIRAM WAS ROCKING!! SURYA WAS EXCELLENT CONSIDERING HIS ACTING AND EVEN THE PHYSICAL TRAINING…
    LOOK MAN, WEN WE GO FOR A TAMIL MOVIE, WE DON EXPECT OSCAR AWARDS… THIS WAS SIMPLY FUN TO WATCH, TOUCHING AND ALSO U COULD LEARN SOMETHING… I MEAN I LOVE GOOD ACTING AND FOREST GUMP N ALL…. BUT GOD MAN!!… DIS IS TAMIL FILM!!…

    N IF UR SOOOOO F***** SMART… Y DON U DIRECT A FILM FOR all of us to be proud of ;-/

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write: first of…this is a tamil movie…

    Need you even say that. Vaaranam Aayiram screams that point in every frame. Of course, this is a Tamil movie. What else can this piece of junk be?

    2. You write: in this realm, u go watch a tamil movie, u DONT expect an oscar,

    Is that a justification for making crappy movies or stealing outright as some swines do.

    3. You write: it seems ur really really… jus plain jobless…

    We are plain jobless?

    a. You’ve registered three times on this blog using different user names. And we are plain jobless?
    b. You are paying so much attention to reviews of jobless people that you are frothing at the mouth and resorting to a combination of lowercase and uppercase in a desperate bid to get your point across. And we are plain jobless?
    c. You are so agitated with the review by jobless people that you have the time to first harangue us with your lowercase drivel, then go on to jump off the cliff with your wild uppercase charges that have any meaning only in the cobweb you confuse for your head and finally descend into that utter nonsense about learning something from VA. And we are plain jobless?

    4. You write: ARE YOU GETTIN PAID TO PURPOSELY DEFAME DE MOVIE?!!!!
    IT SEEMS SO!!!!

    Either you are projecting your self on us or you were so badly gangbanged. Aren’t there any vets in your area that treat your kinda trauma?

    5. You write: tom hanks wud’n be able to appeal to tamil tastes

    Tamil Tastes? Now that’s a pithy definition for contradiction in terms.

    And how would you know that Tom Hanks would not appeal to Tamil tastes?

    6. You write: VAARANAM AAYIRAM WAS ROCKING!! SURYA WAS EXCELLENT CONSIDERING HIS ACTING AND EVEN THE PHYSICAL TRAINING…

    Bet his shit smells sweet too. But how would we know that for sure…only you would.

    • dontilak   April 6, 2011 at 7:35 am

      ok….vaaranam aayiram wasnt that great….i mean first half was good…second half bombed…but 1 thing i gotta disagree though is the music part…the music was awesome….especially nenjukkul peidhidum and its picturization,yethi yethi was catchy,adiye kolluthe was actually mediocre(being an avid listener to rock),bgm was fine…….and suriya’s acting was really good….

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      You write: vaaranam aayiram wasnt that great.

      Wasn’t that great?

      Did you graduate summa cum laude from the school of understatements

      The movie was a piece of shit. Garbage that only Tamils would hail as a masterpiece!

  107. Ram79   December 30, 2008 at 10:21 pm

    “This whole concept of looking at various facets of a the life of an ordinary man over several decades is obviously inspired from Forrest Gump.

    Some techniques like flashback, themes like destiny, army, elusive love (in both, the hero gets the girl after much effort but alas only for a short duration before she dies) … not only appear in both movies but are also very important.”

    This is funny. Just bcos two movies have army, destiny and elusive love they are not the same. I also don’t remember how many movies look at the different facets of a person’s life in flashbacks… It makes more sense to compare the main message/theme in such cases..

    To me VA talks about the role of a ordinary father in moulding a son’s character and supporting him in difficult times. Lot of people face problems in life. Many breakdown and few solve/recover and emerge successfully. If you have read the biographies of few successful people you would know that this is the underlying story for many people and everyone of them have been helped by some nice souls (like the father character in VA).

    I am not sure whether you got an interesting message in FG. Unlike a novel a movie has several hidden messages. Every person takes whatever he is capable of perceiving. Tom Hanks does not have the intelligence to consider various options at various instants in his life. On the other hand, he is blessed with abundant determination and a pure heart. So he is persistent enough to follow his limited choices for a very long time and makes big impact in everything he does.

    As you are reviewing more and more movies you have probably become very good in perceiving imperfections at microscopic levels, but lack the ability to see the more important underlying message….Some directors are perfectionists in every frame, whereas they lack an underlying message. Few others make minor mistakes occasionally, but they do deliver a masterpiece when you put together all the frames. This is probably the difference between Kamal and Mani as directors.

    Please remember that everyone is different with different tastes. It is not good if bollywood becomes hollywood…International movies are far better then hollywood…Some of my favourites are “life is beautiful”, “amelie”, etc. A lot of people do read your reviews. Rather than watching a movie and writing the review on your blackberry while coming back from the theatre…please do spend some time and talk to few people before your write something. As a reviewer it is important to convey the general feeling about a movie rather than a single person’s viewpoint…

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Let’s start from the end of your comment.

    1. You write above: please do spend some time and talk to few people before your write something. As a reviewer it is important to convey the general feeling about a movie rather than a single person’s viewpoint…

    We are not doing reviews by commitee here. If we were to consult every Ram, Ravan or Hanuman before penning a review, we’d never get anything written. At the end of the day, the review is our unique perspective on the movie just like your above comment is your take on our review.

    That said, we do take into account general suggestions and feedback (like your comments and those of others) as we do future reviews.

    And what the hell does this gibberish phrase general feeling about a movie mean? Means nothing to us unless you want us to wait for the box office response/data and then do a review. After all, box office response is supposed to represent the general feeling about a movie. Right?

    2. Vaaranam Aayiram was clearly inspired by Forrest Gump. You might want to do further research on this.

    Forrest Gump is as close to perfection as you can possibly get in a movie. Vaaranam Aayiram was nowhere close. It was hopelessly crude.

    3. Whether at the microscopic level to use your terminology or at the big picture message level, Vaaranam Aayiram didn’t leave much of an impression on us.

    4. You write: Rather than watching a movie and writing the review on your blackberry

    Actually, we use an iPhone 3G. No, we don’t write reviews on the iPhone 3G (try doing it) although we do process short comments on it once in a while.

    5. You write: Please remember that everyone is different with different tastes. It is not good if bollywood becomes hollywood…International movies are far better then hollywood…

    Yeah, yeah different people, different tastes. But that’s not the issue here.

    The issue is that most movies coming out of India (including Vaaranam Aayiram) are junk and often stolen like Saroja or Ghajini.

  108. Ram79   December 31, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    I completely agree with you on one thing. It is disgusting to see that someone who claims to be a director can not come with a single script which is novel and nice. Most directors are taking easier options because either they are not creative enough or do not have confidence in their stories…even kaakha kaakha and Anniyan (which according to me is a crap one) stole bits and pieces from Seven.

    On the other hand, not everyone has the time and money to watch every movie released in every other language. Once in a while, remaking and inspirations should be allowed but in a more legal manner. After all we do accept screenplays from books, although not a single movie I have seen has done justice to the source.

  109. 1012900   January 12, 2009 at 1:54 am

    Hey SI, I happened to see VA yesterday on youtube.. got to say I agree with you a bit. Surya as the father was much much better than the son… The movie dragged in some places but overall I felt that the movie was watchable once… It was different from the regular trash.. I’m tryin to get the DVD of Forrest Gump to compare the two.. I’ve heard my 4nds sayin FG was infinitely better than all Indian movies put together.. Just wanna see that for myself.. n BTW guyz.. can i expect a review of Ayutha Ezhuthu (starring Surya,Siddharth and Madhavan) from you..?? 😉

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    1. You write above: I’ve heard my 4nds sayin FG was infinitely better than all Indian movies put together..

    Your friends are right. Forrest Gump is a masterpiece.

    2. You write: can i expect a review of Ayutha Ezhuthu

    We’ll watch it for sure in the next 10 days…not sure about review because of the backlog.

    • dontilak   April 6, 2011 at 6:44 am

      u dint give a review of ayutha ezhuthu yet….

      SearchIndia.com Responds:

      Netflix doesn’t carry the DVD.

  110. 1012900   January 14, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    You write: [i]We’ll watch it for sure in the next 10 days…not sure about review because of the backlog.[/i]

    That’s ok. But do tell me how u found the movie to be 🙂

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Will do.

  111. asha.tampa   January 15, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    Holy, I dont think Ive seen so much of venom in any of your other review comments! I cant believe users actually go to the extent of bad mouthing you in their web page!

    As far as I know, and heard from friends, VA is an average movie, nothing spectacular; I know I cant really comment since I havent seen it, but then, I know it’s not worth spilling heaps of abuse here! I can understand people’s wrath if you had written a bad review on Forrest Gump, but…

    I dint know how to complete the sentence, so I stopped it midway 🙂

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    You write above: I cant believe users actually go to the extent of bad mouthing you in their web page!

    Oh, it doesn’t stop with just bad-mouthing us in the comments section – The clowns have engaged in repeated, massive attack on our servers.

  112. quarks   January 22, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    gautham’s never made a gud movie after kaaka kaaka. minnale was bearable. vetaiyadu vilayudu had too many impractical ‘ragavan instincts’ to watch. varanam ayiram is the worst. pathetic. it neither portrays a great father, nor a dedicated son. just a completly stupid set of parents (how else would you call a couple who send their drug-addict son off on a tour saying ‘nee poi ellathayum vitutu va. ennoda payyana va’) who give the most unfit advice and an equally stupid wayward son.

  113. arshadsod   August 7, 2009 at 2:43 am

    this fellow (surya) has got the filmfare award for this movie , what a shit this movie was .

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    For the most part, awards in India have no meaning.

    Amitabh Bachchan got the National award for that pathetic piece of shit Agneepath, Aishwarya Rai got a Padma Shri for looking beautiful and surely that Bollywood gofer Abhishek ‘Drona‘ Bachchan will get the Bharat Ratna

  114. Vetti Jijaji   November 6, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    Gautam Menon.. his pretensions that VA is a “class” movie makes me hate it more than a blatantly “crass” movie.. cooum dump is a good description.. sorry that I doubted you SI.

    I bailed out after the first half of DVD.. I was hoping that the battered expectations may help – so I actually had expectations better than “battered” – but didn’t.

    SearchIndia.com Responds:

    Here’re some nice images of the VA gal to keep you occupied. 😉

    The VA gal may not be endowed with good acting skills but none can doubt that she’s well endowed. 😉

    The Lord of the Seven Hills has been ‘bountiful’ in his blessings of this Reddy ammayi’s (girl) twin hills.

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