So far Tamil cinema has had all of its films running well, from Kamal Hassan's amazing comedy film ''Pammal K Sambandham" to the sensetive story of "Kasi", a blind man who surpports his family. (Kinda puts Hindi cinema into a dull perspective with thier last hit films Maa Thujhe Salaam and Raaz, both weak in creativity). But the real test weather Tamil cinema would have a striving year would be soley on the most anticipated south Indian film..."Kannathil Muthamittal", which translates "If I Was To Kiss On The Cheek".

I was lucky enough the get a chance to see Ayngaran's new cinema UK release on a phat cinema screen equipped with DTS surround sound. The curtains roll, and once more I entered the world of a Mani Ratnam film after his amazing Alay Pauthey, a film that made many Hindi audiences begin to watch Tamil films on DVD.

For three hours I sat in my seat and was in awe on what I saw. I was stunned by the excellent performance of Mahadevan, who plays a engineer and a father of three children. It certainly put behind him the typical lover roles he protrayed. Other great performances came from Simran (12B, PKS), Nandita Das (Earth, Aks), Prakash Raj & Chakravarty (Satya).

The story and screenplay is once again on perfect form. Those expecting something special beyond other Indian films, as we always get with Mani Ratnam movies, you will not be disspointed here.

Productions values are the best ever seen so far this year on Indian cinema, with spectacular cinematography, that isn't visable until the film ends (the way camera work should really be apperciative) and you think back upon the film while discussing it with your mates. Good editing/art direction helps set the narrative flowing, and the background score by Rahman will last forever in your minds. I should also mention the songs which are also excellent and play well into the film's main narrative. I wish the CD also included the theme music (I can see many soundbytes from it going into Hindi cinema soundtracks).

This is one Indian film audiences should watch as it will appeal to everyone looking for a simple story told in a Ratnam fashion. Superb.

Sunny.... I can't wait to see this flick! I loved Alaipayutey. Did you see this movie in London? Where? Is it subtitled? When is the DVD releasing?

where can I buy Tamil music CDs(on the net or in London)?



Edited By Panic on Feb. 16 2002 at 04:04

I saw the film in London (Edgeware) without subtitles, and it is playing on a few cinemas now on Ilford, Wimbledon.

The CD was done by TIPS and can be bought from any Tamil video Rental store. just make sure you buy the orignal disc which has the Manufacture TIPS mentioned as all Tamil Songs on CD are done in 24BIT, meaning excellent quality while pirates use the regular standard BIT recordings. Best shop to get them at is the official Anygaran Video Shop in Tooting.
Details here

As for the DVD, word is that the DVD will be out in two months time (single disc version) which will have subtitles, 5.1 and will be presented in 2.20:1 anamorphic. I will plead with them to include this title into thier forthcoming Collectors Editions DVD that they are doing next year.

Alaipayuthey was a wonderful film - as Mani Ratnam's films almost always are and I look forward to watching Kannathil Muthamittal. BTW Sunny, what do you mean by Tamil CDs being 24bit? Maybe I don't get you, but the CD format is inherently 16bit - so even if a song is mastered in 24bit,
the final product will always be 16bit. About soundbytes from films going into Hindi soundtracks, can you inform me of the Hindi films with such "borrowed" soundtracks. Don't include films where A.R. Rahman is credited. I wanna know about the films which "stole" such Tamil film scores.

Raaz and Maa Tujhe Salaam aren't the best examples of Hindi films - and should not be a benchmark. Also, I wouldn't think Hindi cinema is exactly in a dull perspective right now, what with Bollywood films climbing the foreign charts and Lagaan going to the Oscars. Even Mani Ratnam would have to graciously step aside for this one:)

Anyway, someone should tell Ayngaran to get a decent web designer - their website is kinda gaudy.

To reinforce my point about 24 bit/ 16 bit CDs, I quote this from http://www.solitairestudio.com/master.htm

At Solitaire all recordings are made and mastered in 24 Bit technology. Then the final process is called Dithering. This is where the 24 Bit audio is turned into 16 Bit for the final CD's.

At the moment, all audio CD's are 16 bit. However, by keeping all the recording and mastering 24 bit until the final Production CD is burnt, you get a much higher quality end result. 24 Bit CD's will arrive over the next few years, but it will mean consumers have to change their existing players.

I wanted to buy some Tamil films.
I don't speak or understant the language so can you tell me if the subtitles are adiquate

The films I was going to have a look at were:
Alaipayuthey
Kandukondain Kandukondain
Indian

Is there anything wrong with these DVDs (e.g New improved 1s will be released soon, shit Pic & sound). Can you reccomend any other good DVDs
How much do they charge on avarage for the DVDs in the Anygaran Video Shop in Tooting
& how much are CDs sold for?



Edited By Panic on Feb. 16 2002 at 14:45

I think Mani ratnam is one of the best directors in India and his best IMHO is Dil Se which is ironically in Hindi. However I will differ with you in opinion Sunny, Hindi films had a good year with Lagaan, DCH and others while Tamil films were hit badly with their biggest disaster Abhay. Also I saw ''Pammal K Sambandham" and didn't think much about it.

My response to the posting above;

To Ayran:-

IMHO I think the films Raaz, or Maa Thujhe Salam are bad examples of Hindi cinema. I understand if you mention films like Monsoon Wedding, Aks, Lagaan and even to a certain extent K3G being mentioned as good examples of Hindi cinema. But Hindi films are producing more and more crap every year, and with so much money being pumped into thier film prodcution I can't see the reason why thier content is suffering.

Some Hindi films which used soundbytes and samples from Tamil/Telugu cinema;
Raja Babu, Coolie no 1, Gopi Kishan, Virasat, Judaai, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rethe Hain, Biwi No 1, Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, Hum, Agahaaz, Maan, Bulandi....mostly films which have south Indian assoication. Hindi music directors don't really steal these tunes they use them as samples. Like Dr.Dre or even Jay-Z does for their tracks. Its a way to make some innovative rather then something inventive. Its just a shame that the real creators like Deva, Illayraja or even Anu Mailk (whose tunes have been sampled for a few Tamil tracks) don't get credited.

On many Tamils CD it says that they are mastered on 24dsc bit processing. I really don't have a figs what that means but you certainly can the difference in quality on my phat system. I compared Minnale cd (by Ramiy - Tamil Verison) with Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein cd (by HMV - Hindi version) after reading your comments. Both have the same music but in different languages. Difference in sound quality can be heard, but that might be due to the original sources used, although both source appear to come from DDD as stated on the box. The Ramiy version has no hissing, and the bass wasn't as distorted when I increased the volume. The HMV bass wasn't as impactful even on high volume. I also noticed that Punjabi CD's also have high quality recordings and thier bass is also never distorted. Maybe you could help me to understand what is going on?

I will have a word with Ayngaran about thier website, I have mentioned before that thier site is kinda dull. Hopefully they will change it soon

To Panic:-

Some of thier first titles had poor grammer, but you still understand what the characters are saying. They have been improving with each tittle. I can safely say that Ayngaran widescreen DVD's are of good quality and you will not dissapointed. However they will be re-releasing some of thier blockbuster titles in 2003 in new transfers, with some features. I would wait for them versions. Alai Payuthey & Kandukondain Kandukondain are certainly part of that list. Indian has not yet been comfirmed.

But even the current versions of these DVD's on the market are quite good. if you can't wait for long wait then I would recommed you purchase these titles. For a more detailed review goto either Indian DVD world, Zulm.net. I have also reviewed these discs on DVD Reviewer.

I have no idea how much the DVD's or CD's are at the Ayngaran shop but you can phone them to find out @ 0208 543 4477. Tamil CD normally cost around £4.99 and films £15.99 but that is at my local video shop in Walthamstow.

To Congress:-
Dil se was a good film, but not Mani Ratnam's best. I think that solely goes to either Talapathi or Nayakan.

Abhay was a phat film, it was dark, deadly, comic and even tragic! Kudos to Kamal for being daring, he is one of a kind. If only the film would have cut out the silly parachute jump and made Abhay's death more horrific it would have had a better ending.

PKS was also a good film, but many people had dismissed the film for its overly melodramic content. But then again isn't that what makes Indian films different from the rest of the world???

Abhay wasn't that big of a flop in Tamil. It fared average box-office recipts and according to Ayngaran, who paid a heave fee for the film, made its money back in days of its release. Even DEI have stated to me that the DVD did good business, even though the film wasn't released on cinemas in UK and USA. Tamil cinema have had bigger flops like RED, Asoka (Dubbed) and the dam right awful film CHOCKLET. But they have also had some decent films which did excellent business, like Kasi, Kutty, Nandaa, 12B, Agazhi, Vedham to name a few.

Don't get me wrong I am all for Hindi cinema improving, but at the mo it isn't doing anything for me. I only look forward to about five films a year instead of the usual 20 films a year, as so many fans do! I know it won't be long before I won't bother to watch a Hindi film altogether (unless it is appealing like Monsoon Wedding or Lagaan). But my eyes are now turning towards other aspect of Indian films namly: Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and even Telugu films. I see these as the future of good Indian film-making.

All Indian film CDs are still 16bit. Most these days, including Hindi and Tamil, are mastered at 24bit, then dithered to 16 bit. I really don't think you should use Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein for your analogy. I haven't heard it - and being the B grade film that it is, I don't intend to. Instead, take a listen to stuff like K3G and Lagaan which are excellently mastered. Both are by Sony. Also, take a listen to Lucky Ali's stuff, especially the albums Aks and Sifar(Sony). HMV's CDs and tapes in India are known for being crappy and big banners don't sign them anymore anyway. I seriously doubt that technology in major Hindi films could be inferior to south films. Companies offering these technologies would sooner than later want a piece of the big Bollywood pie - as it has always been.

It is interesting to note that all the Hindi films that copied Tamil songs (save for Virasat - which was the same director's remake of Thevar Magan and shouldn't count) were really badly made B-grade films e.g. Judaai, Raja Babu. On that note, I'm sure many B-grade south films have lifted Hindi soundtracks e.g. from Khalnayak, Deewana, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. I'm waiting for numerous lifts of K3G now...

I certainly do not agree with the claim that Hindi cinema is producing more and more crap every year. The number of films produced is steadily going down. Instead, less but higher quality films are beig made - that explains the bigger budgets. I also watch a lot of Tamil films here in Singapore and follow quite a bit of what goes on in the industry. It's definitely not all the rosy picture you have painted.

You also say that it won't be long before you won't bother to watch a Hindi film altogether (unless it is appealing like Monsoon Wedding or Lagaan). And your eyes are now turning towards other aspect of Indian films - Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and even Telugu films. You see these as the future of good Indian film-making.

I have one question - How many films in these languages are in the league of and "appealing" like Monsoon Wedding and Lagaan?

BTW, who's the editor of Kannathil Muthamittal?



Edited By Aryan on Feb. 17 2002 at 11:19

[quote="Aryan"][/quote]
All of Sony CD are done in Europe (Austria to be exact) and not India. Naturally the technology is better there. Also when did I say Tamil cd are better quality? I was mearly comparing two cd's as examples so the analogy would be more justified then comparing two completly different albums that have different sound recording thus making a comparision not as appropiate. Using my analogy I was stating the quality difference heard on the two versions (which used exactly the same sound recording process) and maybe suggesting that maybe the 24dcs Bit processing has something to do with it which is why the album on Raimy sounds better. Funnily enough Raimy are also based in Europe (Switzerland). I was also asking how come, not "I AM RIGHT!"

Samples are taken everywhere around thw world. Hell even many famous western artists lifts tunes from each other. If no-one sees anything worng with that then why do people into Bollywood films get so uptight about liting tunes from each other. I personally don't care so long as the person who orignally did the tune gets credit, and the tune put into better use then the original version. Look at how Bally Sagoo created a phat tune from Choli Ke Peeche, which I thnk is better then the original.

All world cinema has always aspired from other sources, and that is how good films are made. No one on this planet is original someone has always created something from other influences. Cameron Crowe's recent film Vallina Sky was a lifted from a Spanish movie.

Monsoon Wedding is actually a British/French/USA financed production, just with an Indian cast and crew, like Bandit Queen. I doubt Hindi cinema would ever have themselves financed films such as these in the past (with exception to the NFDC banner). Its only the success of low budget controversial films that Indian financing houses are begining to finance films like Chandi Bar and Bhanwadar.

Lagaan is an amazing film but there are wonderful south Indian films like Terrorist, Vanaprastham, Nayakan, KanduKondain KanduKondain that IMHO can be just as good. Remember its all about acting, and screenplay not big budgets and wonderful production values. I am not saying South Indian cinema is flawless, Just look at the film Jeans! But it is on the rise in terms of creativity and charterisations. Watch the South Indian film Kutty and you'll see what I mean.

The new Ratnam film was edited by Shreekar Parasad.

Sony's CD are pressed in Austria not mastered. Still, most of them are mastered in other parts of Europe - depending on whoever the producer of the film paid to do the job. If the Raimy Cd was mastered elsewhere and the Hindi one in a crappy Indian HMV studio, it probably explains why the Hindi one sounded bad. Other terrible HMV titles include Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. It is the epitome of poor recording and mastering.

While I agree with you that south cinema is in the rise in terms of creativity and "characterisations" - I wouldn't discredit Hindi cinema in these aspects either - and I wish you wouldn't do so at the unnecessary expense of Hindi cinema.

Also in my opinion - films aren't only about acting and screenplay - but acting, screenplay and wonderful production values. A big budget doesn't hurt my viewing pleasure either...

I sincerely apologise if I sounded a little brash in my earlier postings - and I hope you don't take any offence in what I've said.

Deva shamelessly lifts tunes without giving credit too!!! I have seen a Tamil movie, not sure what's the name but Deva lifted the theme from Mission Impossible!!! Both Anu Malik and Deva should be banished to Planet Mars!!!