Oh My Dog movie review: Arun Vijay’s sweet, sappy film bogged down by commercial platitudes and predictable writing

It is fascinating to see how indispensable fight sequences are to Tamil cinema. That is the case not just with commercial cinema. It seems inconceivable for our creators to have a protagonist and not have him fight, no irrespective of the genre the film belongs to.

After all, can anyone be a hero if they cannot fight? Sarov Shanmugam’s debut film Oh My Dog is the latest addition to the long list of films bogged down by commercial platitudes and predictable writing.

Oh My Dog has quite a simple premise. Professional dog breeder Fernando (Vinay Rai in yet another single-note villain character) asks his men to kill a blind pup from one of his dogs. The pup escapes the killers, and is be spotted by Arjun (Arnav Vijay), who adopts him. He hides the pup, Simba, from his family, which is already reeling under financial pressure. But eventually, the family and their friends rally around the pup, which brings them closer.

Continue reading “Oh My Dog movie review: Arun Vijay’s sweet, sappy film bogged down by commercial platitudes and predictable writing”

Thadam review: A smart whodunit drama that falters with its sentiment

Thadam is essentially a ‘whodunit drama’. There’s a murder. Money gets stolen. With a key piece of evidence, the police narrow down a suspect. What if there were a look alike? Thadam’s plot is structured like a maze, similar to its title design. The suspense beautifully builds up until intermission. Is it Ezhil or is it Kavin? (Arun Vijay plays a dual role) Is the murder about money? The parts that follow the investigation in Thadam are the strongest. At every breakthrough, there is a development that brings the police back to square one. Magizh Thirumeni takes extra care to ensure that the audience is kept on tenterhooks and it works, until the end.

Continue reading “Thadam review: A smart whodunit drama that falters with its sentiment”

It’s now time to reap the benefits of my 23-year career: Arun Vijay

It’s been more than two decades since Arun Vijay made his debut with Sundar C’s Murai Mappillai (1995). The actor has now touched the 25-film mark with Mani Ratnam’s Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. Terming the current period as his time in the spotlight, Arun Vijay talks about his career, and how he’s learned from his mistakes.

Excerpts from the conversation: Continue reading “It’s now time to reap the benefits of my 23-year career: Arun Vijay”

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