This is the film which required the least effort for me to pen a review for. If you are too busy to read the long thie whole review, I would put it in short.
Villain wrecks havoc, Hero plays saviour of people, heroine plays the hero's eye candy, and in the end good wins over evil. And yes! It is a Vijay film.
Vettaikaran is a commercial cocktail, with ample doses of action, comedy and sentiment. But the only problem is none impresses you much. There is not even a sembelence of originality. The story and the screenplay have traces of previous hits of Vijay, and also other films. The film starts with 'Police' Ravi(Vijay) moving from Tuticorin to Chennai to pursue his dream of becoming an IPS officer, and joins the same college as his mentor IPS Officer Devaraj.
And there is Susheela(Anushka) who romances with Ravi, after a brief phase of petty fights with him. All goes well until the baddies led by Vedhanayagam(Salim Ghouse), enter the fray. The terrorise the city with fear, and might. No one dares to come in their way, except for one man, and no prizes for guessing it right. How he fights them and comes over victorious, is the rest of the story.
Vijay, is at his usual best, be it dance or comedy, but there is no scope for him to use his histrionic skills. His screen presence is the only saving grace for otherwise dull moments. Anushka didnt have much to do, but defenitely satisfied the front benchers with her oomph. Satyan and Srinath were good in their respective roles. Srihari could have been used well, while Cochin Hanifa and Sayaji Shinde did what they could do best. Salim Ghouse as Vedanayagam was
towering over the other characters. His voice still sends down chills down our spine. It is good to see a good villain return to tamil Cinema.
Vijay Antony's songs are already chartbusters, and he doesnt dissappoint in the background score too. 'Naa adicha' and 'Karigalan' songs were picturised well, with Vijay's son Sanjay making a cute cameo in the former. Camerawork and editing were adequate, and stunts defird all laws of gravity, which is a usual sight in Viay films.
The director has tried to keep it simple and play to the galleries. With a week story and a not-so-taut screenplay, the Babusivan misses the target by miles, but still clings on the edge to deliver an average potboiler.
You wont miss much, if you are to miss this movie, but for vijay fans they can celebrate for some time from now.
My Rating: 2/5
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Go watch Nadodigal!!!
Much before its release and even when talks where around about the start of the project Global Infotainment's Nadodigal had raised huge expectations. A small budget film directed by a person whose previous ventures never troubled the box-office doesnt garner interest all the time. But when you have Subramaniapuram fame Sasikumar in the lead, one cannot help about the buzz around it. Directed by Samudrakani, the cast is led by Sasikumar and a batch of new or lesser-known faces. The stills and promo for the film constantly reminds us of Subramaniapuram, and we enter the cinema hall knowing what to expect.
The story is set in the districts of Erode and Namakkal. Karunakaran(Sasikumar) is a BA History graduate with a gold medal is constantly in the firing line from his father for chosing the subject, which he thinks is good-for-nothing. Sasikumar enters the frame with a superb explanation on why History is no way lesser than other courses. He keeeps trying for a government job, in order to satisfy his uncle's wishes and marry his daughter(played well by Ananya). And as usual there are a couple of friends with whom Karuna hangs out. Pandi(Bharani)'s aim is to fly out of the country to make big bucks, but constantly ends up messing up with his passport application. Chandran(Vijay) plans to set up a computer centre in future, and also falls for Karuna's sister Pavitra(Abinaya) and proposes his love with the help of his father(super kudumbam...). These three are thick friends and they wander and booze together.
When there seems to be no trouble in their lives, enters Saravanan, a friend of Karuna, who keeps mysteriously quiet. He tries to drown himself in the well, and when enquired he lets out that he is in love with a girl whose father is a rival to his ex-MP mother. The three friends plan to help him out, and they travel to Namakkal in pursuit of his love. They pick up the girl, and unite the lovers. But each of the three lose something vital, in this operation. While Chandran and Pandi lose their legs and hearing respectively, Karuna loses his love and more. With time, the three learn to cope with their loses and things seem to settle a bit. But they are in for a suprise, when they learn that all they ve lost have become meaningless. How they make amends for that completes the film.
As is the trend now, the film follows a much realistic approach and all characters in the film are very close to the one's we see in real life. Each and every character makes a huge impact on the audience. The tone and dialouges in the film are refreshing. Samudrakani had once said in an interview that this film has no hero in it, and how true it is. There is hardly any heroism or dominance by any character.
SasiKumar has great screen presence and is able to garner the attention whenever he comes upon the screen. His actions appear to be unnatural at times and so is his dialouge-delivery, but his charisma makes amends for those. Bharani, as Pandi, is a revelation. He has us in splits at times and moves us into tears in the very next frame. We might see more of him in the future. Vijay was apt in his role, and Ganja Karuppu was used effectively, and when done so, he is a treat to watch. The leading ladies were a refreshing change. Ananya, as the bubbly girl reminds us of Gopika, and forces a grin out of us, whenever she is on screen. The real-life deaf and dumb girl Abinaya amazes us with her picture perfect lip-sync. Some of the other characters that stay in our heart are the comic politician with an air of VijayKanth, who clicks photos which boast about his deeds now and then, Bharani's father who abuses his son in fron of his second-wife and makes amends later, and the anonymous friend who joins the three in all deeds but doesnt speak a word.
On the technical side, cameraman Karthik and editor AL Ramesh have done a neat job. Sundar C Babu couldnt quite repeat his Anjathey success in the songs, but the re-recording is out-standing. On the down side, a forcefully penetrated item number in the first half put the brakes on the pace of the film. Scenes depicting the losses incurred by the three protaganists become a bit emotional, but are still tolerable.
Nowadays, whatever Sasikumar touches are turing into gold. He had become a bankable actor with this film. This film might well follow the path off other off-beat films in setting the box-office active for a few weeks. Nadodigal is defenitely worth a watch, especially with your gang of friends.
My Rating: 3/5
The story is set in the districts of Erode and Namakkal. Karunakaran(Sasikumar) is a BA History graduate with a gold medal is constantly in the firing line from his father for chosing the subject, which he thinks is good-for-nothing. Sasikumar enters the frame with a superb explanation on why History is no way lesser than other courses. He keeeps trying for a government job, in order to satisfy his uncle's wishes and marry his daughter(played well by Ananya). And as usual there are a couple of friends with whom Karuna hangs out. Pandi(Bharani)'s aim is to fly out of the country to make big bucks, but constantly ends up messing up with his passport application. Chandran(Vijay) plans to set up a computer centre in future, and also falls for Karuna's sister Pavitra(Abinaya) and proposes his love with the help of his father(super kudumbam...). These three are thick friends and they wander and booze together.
When there seems to be no trouble in their lives, enters Saravanan, a friend of Karuna, who keeps mysteriously quiet. He tries to drown himself in the well, and when enquired he lets out that he is in love with a girl whose father is a rival to his ex-MP mother. The three friends plan to help him out, and they travel to Namakkal in pursuit of his love. They pick up the girl, and unite the lovers. But each of the three lose something vital, in this operation. While Chandran and Pandi lose their legs and hearing respectively, Karuna loses his love and more. With time, the three learn to cope with their loses and things seem to settle a bit. But they are in for a suprise, when they learn that all they ve lost have become meaningless. How they make amends for that completes the film.
As is the trend now, the film follows a much realistic approach and all characters in the film are very close to the one's we see in real life. Each and every character makes a huge impact on the audience. The tone and dialouges in the film are refreshing. Samudrakani had once said in an interview that this film has no hero in it, and how true it is. There is hardly any heroism or dominance by any character.
SasiKumar has great screen presence and is able to garner the attention whenever he comes upon the screen. His actions appear to be unnatural at times and so is his dialouge-delivery, but his charisma makes amends for those. Bharani, as Pandi, is a revelation. He has us in splits at times and moves us into tears in the very next frame. We might see more of him in the future. Vijay was apt in his role, and Ganja Karuppu was used effectively, and when done so, he is a treat to watch. The leading ladies were a refreshing change. Ananya, as the bubbly girl reminds us of Gopika, and forces a grin out of us, whenever she is on screen. The real-life deaf and dumb girl Abinaya amazes us with her picture perfect lip-sync. Some of the other characters that stay in our heart are the comic politician with an air of VijayKanth, who clicks photos which boast about his deeds now and then, Bharani's father who abuses his son in fron of his second-wife and makes amends later, and the anonymous friend who joins the three in all deeds but doesnt speak a word.
On the technical side, cameraman Karthik and editor AL Ramesh have done a neat job. Sundar C Babu couldnt quite repeat his Anjathey success in the songs, but the re-recording is out-standing. On the down side, a forcefully penetrated item number in the first half put the brakes on the pace of the film. Scenes depicting the losses incurred by the three protaganists become a bit emotional, but are still tolerable.
Nowadays, whatever Sasikumar touches are turing into gold. He had become a bankable actor with this film. This film might well follow the path off other off-beat films in setting the box-office active for a few weeks. Nadodigal is defenitely worth a watch, especially with your gang of friends.
My Rating: 3/5
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Aayirathil Oruvan - Music Review
Aayirathil Oruvan is one film that Selvaraghavan's fans and all other people in Tamil Nadu have been eagerly waiting for. Produced by R. Ravindran's Dream Valley productions, the film stars Karthi Sivakumar, Andrea Jeremiah, Reema Sen, Prathap Pothan, Parthiban and others. Selvaraghavan wields the megaphone, while G. V Prakash Kumar joins hands with him after the infamous break up of the director with his long time buddy Yuvan Shankar Raja. The audio release of the movie was held in a grand manner in Chennai on 14th June. Let us see how the songs of the film fare(there are ten of them...)
Govinda Govinda starts off with a Snoop Dogg rap, and you sit up for a rather peppy song, but as soon as the lyrics make their way, you seem to be dissapointed. It is a rather faster edition of the tirumala devotional song 'Govinda Hari Govinda'. Karhik and Andrea lend their voices, but the lyrics by Selva himself, go rather unnoticed. A peppy number for the youth.
Maalai Neram is a fresh melody, and the only one in the album. Selva has written the lyrics for this one too, and the album cover says excerpts from Sithar padalgal, but there is no trace of such lines. Andrea excels in the charanam, where she has to go to a very low scale, almost in a husky voice. Will be in the hearts of melody lovers for a while.
Un Mela Aasadhaan has a striking resembelance to 'Adada vaa asathalaam' from Sarvam and you neednt be a genius to figure that. Maybe both the composers were inspired by the same song. You would not be much impressed with the pallavi, not that it is bad, but it is the same song that came a couple of months back. But the charanam is much better than the predecessor. The flute interludes and the Dhanush's casual voice makes it a sure-shot chartbuster.
Thaai thindra mannae is my pick as the best song of the album. A agile song with lyrics in Tamil and Telugu written to explain the state of the Chola Dynasty. Goes on for more than 8 minutes, but its dramatic pace keeps you glued. NityaSree Mahadevan is heard in films after some time, and she does what she is best at, giving a classical begenning to the song. From there Vijay Yesudas carries on a sorrowful rendition of the Dynasty's tale, and Sri Krishna and NityaSree complete the wonderful song in a classical note. You might be reminded of 'Raa Raa' from Chandramukhi at some point, but this one has its uniqueness. Two lines of the song stand out - 'Puli kodi pottrum sozha manndargal, eli kari poripathu eno' and 'Mandai odugal mandiya naatai mannan aazhuvatho'. Vairamuthu deserves a bow.
Thaai Thindra mannae(Classical version) is not exactly a classical version(the original itself is more classical). Vijay renders this slower version to perfection.
Penmaane is one strong song which denotes the downfall of a king. The lyrics by Vairamuthu are powerful and Bombay Jayasree takes herself to the next level through this song. I neither have the experience nor the knowledge of music to talk about the legendary PB Srinivas, who has done a extended bit at the end of the song.
Indha Paadhai is very much an inspired piece. You can Rahman and Yuvan all over it, GV Prakash has a better voice than the later. Selva's lyrics talks about take-it-easy policy of young men. Not much to talk about this song.
Celebration of Life performed by 'flute' Naveen is a good attempt to capture the mood of the historic life. Obviously a background score, one needs to wait to see the way it is used in the film.
King Arives is another background score, which I think will be used for the Chola king's screen presence. And again highly inspired by previous such scores in Tamil cinema.
Oh Eesa(remix) , the remix version of Govinda Govinda is a better version of the song. Performed by Bigg Nikk.
On the whole, the album has the class, but what seems to missing is the originality. G.V Prakash Kumar has a long way to go, to become what some think he is now. Nevertheless a good album, and I would defenitely recommend it for the few songs, for which it is worth a buy.
My Rating - 2.5/5
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sarvam - Music Review
Good music is created only when there is interest and enthusiasm in the creator and able support and guidance for him. In short, you need a good team, which can bring out the best in an induvidual. Yuvan shnakar Raja is a composer who needs all these, and when he gets them, you can prepare yourself for some good music listening experience.
Saroja happened few months ago, and that was the last good album from Yuvan. After a few unconvincing albums, he is back with the dream team - Vishnuvardhan and Arya. 'Think Music' presents the music of Sarvam, an Ayangaran release, and lets check out what the album offers.
1. Theme music
Starting off with a humorous and romantic tone , it manages to keep us interested for a while befor it slips into serious mode. The composer has borrowed his own tune from Billa and tried to create a racy tune according to the mood of the film. A good piece that can kindle your interest to see the film, even more.
2. Siragugal - Javed Ali, Madhusree
From the very begenning of the song it reminds you of Rahman's "Guzarish", and what makes that more convincing is the same voice(Javed Ali) for both songs. Nevertheless it is a treat for the melody buffs, with Madhusree's sweet voice matching the mood perfectly. Had only Javed's tamil pronounciation been a bit better, the song would have been one among Yuvan's best melodies.
3. Neethane - Yuvan shankar Raja
The song starts with an interrupted signal like sound, and sette down witha rythmic guitar interlude. A typical Yuvan number, with his signature all over it, sagging at no point. Yuvan manages to keep the tempo of the song at the right place where you can feel the melody and the rythm. This is my pick of the album.
4. Sutta suriyana - Vijay Yesudas
Vijay has become a regular in Yuvan's albums, as his father was in Illayaraja's. The tune is nothing new in this one and the beats also reminds us of 'Kappal eri poyaachu' from 'Indian'. But midway through you are introduced to the 'Megam karukuthu' piece and then the same tune is used in a flute, which makes the song an above ordinary fare.
5. Kaatukulle - Yuvan shankar Raja
This could have easily been the song of the album, if it was not for Yuvan's inablity to raise the tempo to the levels that the song required. This was again a trademark song from the composer, starting of with sound of water droplets and Yuvan's voice rising from the it. The choice of instruments is commendable and the sound engineer can take a bow for putting them beautifully in place. Nevertheless, it has all ingridients for a chartbuster.
6. Adada - Illayaraja
When was the last time you saw Illayaraja playing a rockstar?? He is back in that avatar, with this rollicking song, signalling that he can still create magic. Only he coud have managed to make an impact in a song dominated by loud BGm, wierd flute interludes and husky english lyrics in feminine voices. He has had a blast, and this song is set to burn the dance flores.
Overall, a good album from Yuvan aftera long time, and has made quite a few adjustments and tried to come out of the usual tunes without missing his punch
Rating: 3 1/2
Saroja happened few months ago, and that was the last good album from Yuvan. After a few unconvincing albums, he is back with the dream team - Vishnuvardhan and Arya. 'Think Music' presents the music of Sarvam, an Ayangaran release, and lets check out what the album offers.
1. Theme music
Starting off with a humorous and romantic tone , it manages to keep us interested for a while befor it slips into serious mode. The composer has borrowed his own tune from Billa and tried to create a racy tune according to the mood of the film. A good piece that can kindle your interest to see the film, even more.
2. Siragugal - Javed Ali, Madhusree
From the very begenning of the song it reminds you of Rahman's "Guzarish", and what makes that more convincing is the same voice(Javed Ali) for both songs. Nevertheless it is a treat for the melody buffs, with Madhusree's sweet voice matching the mood perfectly. Had only Javed's tamil pronounciation been a bit better, the song would have been one among Yuvan's best melodies.
3. Neethane - Yuvan shankar Raja
The song starts with an interrupted signal like sound, and sette down witha rythmic guitar interlude. A typical Yuvan number, with his signature all over it, sagging at no point. Yuvan manages to keep the tempo of the song at the right place where you can feel the melody and the rythm. This is my pick of the album.
4. Sutta suriyana - Vijay Yesudas
Vijay has become a regular in Yuvan's albums, as his father was in Illayaraja's. The tune is nothing new in this one and the beats also reminds us of 'Kappal eri poyaachu' from 'Indian'. But midway through you are introduced to the 'Megam karukuthu' piece and then the same tune is used in a flute, which makes the song an above ordinary fare.
5. Kaatukulle - Yuvan shankar Raja
This could have easily been the song of the album, if it was not for Yuvan's inablity to raise the tempo to the levels that the song required. This was again a trademark song from the composer, starting of with sound of water droplets and Yuvan's voice rising from the it. The choice of instruments is commendable and the sound engineer can take a bow for putting them beautifully in place. Nevertheless, it has all ingridients for a chartbuster.
6. Adada - Illayaraja
When was the last time you saw Illayaraja playing a rockstar?? He is back in that avatar, with this rollicking song, signalling that he can still create magic. Only he coud have managed to make an impact in a song dominated by loud BGm, wierd flute interludes and husky english lyrics in feminine voices. He has had a blast, and this song is set to burn the dance flores.
Overall, a good album from Yuvan aftera long time, and has made quite a few adjustments and tried to come out of the usual tunes without missing his punch
Rating: 3 1/2
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Naan Kadavul - Movie Review
I am stranded for words at the end of the film, but I took courage and managed to get few words to review one of the very few films that had disturbed me a lot. This is once again a personal review, as opinions differ, and what with the film being a Bala special. It has been a long time since I have seen such a heart rendering movie in Tamil Cinema. And this is not a surprise because it was expected from the director who manages to make his films to stay in the viewers mind for a long time. Bala has his own school of direction and 'Naan Kadavul', his fourth venture as dirctor is nothing different.
The story starts with the visuals of Kasi and the Ganges flowing through with the soothing hindi(i think so...) song at the background. Then you are introduced to a old man and his daughter in search of his long lost son, whom he abandoned due to the advice of a few astrologers. He finds his son with the help of a local, and is astonished to find him as an Aghora. Rudran(Arya), after being left alone by his father, took refuge under an Aghora and is also brought up as one(Do not miss his astounding introduction). He believes that he is the creator and he has the right to kill evil people and provide moksha(by the way of death) to people who are not able to sustain. He returns home to Malaikovil(Tamil Nadu) with his father and sister, but neither his mother's affection nor his new relationships could make him differ from what he is. He makes a cave near the Malaikovil temple as his home.
When you are introduced to Thandavan who captures helpless beggers and milks money through the alms which they get, it is then that the original plot is revealed. Hamsavalli(Pooja), a blind girl with a beautiful voice is captured by Murugan, Thandavan's aide and she is made to beg along with the fellow beggers. When she is tried to be sold to a gory looking man for a ransom, she tries to escape, and lands at the feet of Rudran. Rudran, who can sense the evil from the good just by the looks, kills both Thandavan and one other dealer who tries to sell Hamsavalli. Pooja who was tortured by Thandavan, loses interest to live and begs Rudran to give her moksha by ending her life, and Rudran obliges.
There are plenty of scenes which make you cry like when we get to see the plight of the beggers and the way they are tortured when refused to beg. It brings the sour truth of our society to limelight. The choice of artists for beggers(physically deformed in real) is commendable and Bala can take a bow for making such raw people from such a cruel walk of life, to act. These secondary characters form the soul of the film. They not only make you cry but also provide quite a few laughs with their witty dialouges. Bala's penchant for humour cannot be set aside, as right from Sethu till now, he doesnt fail to tickle your funny bone often. The dance sequence in the Police station and the 'Ammavum neeye' song sequence have us in splits
The lead actors Arya and Pooja have relatively lesser screen time than it is required for lead actors. Arya is stupendous in his appearence and his voice modulation is immaculate. His asanas are a treat to watch and we curse Bala for not showing enough of them on screen. Pooja as a blind girl is unbelievably great, with her moves and expressions making us believe that she is one amongst the real handicapped people. She is sure to go places with her talent brilliantly exploited by Bala. The other charaters like the villain Thandavan and his aide Murugan, and the limbless Swami at the Malaikovil, have done a neat job and garner praise.
When it comes to soulful music Illayaraja can never be matched, and he has once again proved the same. The background score is so true that it tugs your heartstrings and takes you into the film. 'Om hari Om' and 'Bikshai paathiram' leave an everlatsing trail in our minds. The music often takes the movie forward when there is lack of dialouges. The technical team also deserves praise
On the flip side, this film is sure to make many a people uneasy while watching it. The raw potrayal of the plight of beggers is sure to create a lump in your throat, but I am sure many might not sleep the night they saw the movie. The climax scene where Pooja is put to death and the scene where she is tortured by Thandavan is just out of imagination for an ordinary film goer. Realism as it is takes centre stage in every Bala movie, but I rate this the best when it comes to realistic potrayal.
So what is the conclusion?
No one in India can never ever think of making such a movie, other than Mr. Bala. If you can see movies like Apocalypto, then here is your cup of tea.
AHAM BRAMHAASMI......
Rating:
For the weak hearted: Stay Away
For others : 4/5
The story starts with the visuals of Kasi and the Ganges flowing through with the soothing hindi(i think so...) song at the background. Then you are introduced to a old man and his daughter in search of his long lost son, whom he abandoned due to the advice of a few astrologers. He finds his son with the help of a local, and is astonished to find him as an Aghora. Rudran(Arya), after being left alone by his father, took refuge under an Aghora and is also brought up as one(Do not miss his astounding introduction). He believes that he is the creator and he has the right to kill evil people and provide moksha(by the way of death) to people who are not able to sustain. He returns home to Malaikovil(Tamil Nadu) with his father and sister, but neither his mother's affection nor his new relationships could make him differ from what he is. He makes a cave near the Malaikovil temple as his home.
When you are introduced to Thandavan who captures helpless beggers and milks money through the alms which they get, it is then that the original plot is revealed. Hamsavalli(Pooja), a blind girl with a beautiful voice is captured by Murugan, Thandavan's aide and she is made to beg along with the fellow beggers. When she is tried to be sold to a gory looking man for a ransom, she tries to escape, and lands at the feet of Rudran. Rudran, who can sense the evil from the good just by the looks, kills both Thandavan and one other dealer who tries to sell Hamsavalli. Pooja who was tortured by Thandavan, loses interest to live and begs Rudran to give her moksha by ending her life, and Rudran obliges.
There are plenty of scenes which make you cry like when we get to see the plight of the beggers and the way they are tortured when refused to beg. It brings the sour truth of our society to limelight. The choice of artists for beggers(physically deformed in real) is commendable and Bala can take a bow for making such raw people from such a cruel walk of life, to act. These secondary characters form the soul of the film. They not only make you cry but also provide quite a few laughs with their witty dialouges. Bala's penchant for humour cannot be set aside, as right from Sethu till now, he doesnt fail to tickle your funny bone often. The dance sequence in the Police station and the 'Ammavum neeye' song sequence have us in splits
The lead actors Arya and Pooja have relatively lesser screen time than it is required for lead actors. Arya is stupendous in his appearence and his voice modulation is immaculate. His asanas are a treat to watch and we curse Bala for not showing enough of them on screen. Pooja as a blind girl is unbelievably great, with her moves and expressions making us believe that she is one amongst the real handicapped people. She is sure to go places with her talent brilliantly exploited by Bala. The other charaters like the villain Thandavan and his aide Murugan, and the limbless Swami at the Malaikovil, have done a neat job and garner praise.
When it comes to soulful music Illayaraja can never be matched, and he has once again proved the same. The background score is so true that it tugs your heartstrings and takes you into the film. 'Om hari Om' and 'Bikshai paathiram' leave an everlatsing trail in our minds. The music often takes the movie forward when there is lack of dialouges. The technical team also deserves praise
On the flip side, this film is sure to make many a people uneasy while watching it. The raw potrayal of the plight of beggers is sure to create a lump in your throat, but I am sure many might not sleep the night they saw the movie. The climax scene where Pooja is put to death and the scene where she is tortured by Thandavan is just out of imagination for an ordinary film goer. Realism as it is takes centre stage in every Bala movie, but I rate this the best when it comes to realistic potrayal.
So what is the conclusion?
No one in India can never ever think of making such a movie, other than Mr. Bala. If you can see movies like Apocalypto, then here is your cup of tea.
AHAM BRAMHAASMI......
Rating:
For the weak hearted: Stay Away
For others : 4/5
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Somdev saves the Chennai Open
The Chennai Open, considered to be India's biggest tennis event, always had a good reputation among the players and the officials. Reason being the good attendance and knowledge of the Chennai crowd. Some really great players like Pat Rafter, Rafeal Nadal, Carlos Moya and Michel Tillstrom have graced the Chennai courts. Infact, this tournament has made the city the Tennis capital of India. From GoldFlake Open in 1997, to Tata Open in 2000, it snow the Chennai open withe the main sponsors being the Tamil Nadu government
But for some reason, the 2009 edition. the 13th succesive edition, of the tournament was feared to be a low key affair. The few reasons being non participation of top ranked players, as Rafeal Nadal pulled off for playing in the prestigious Dubai Open, and the long eluding Federer also citing the same reason. The highest ranked player was Russian Nikolay Davydenko ranked 5th in the world and YES, there was the Chennai favourite Carlos Moya along with some big names like Rainer Schuttler, Mario Cilic who were among the top 30. And then there were our own boys Rohan Bopanna, Prakash Amritraj and Somdev Devvarman. The two greats of India- Lee and Hesh preferred to pair up with different partners and contest in the tournament. So was this enough to draw the chennai crowd?
The attendence for the first two days were not encouraging, and the sight of empty stands would not have been a pleasant sight for the organizers. But that was not a surprise though, as the crowd starts to pour in only from the quarter final rounds. But it seemed unlikely that even the QF round would be graced by the people as the developments during the first 2 rounds were not at all good. Davydenko, the most valuable player of the tournament withdrew citing a heel injury and was also expected to miss the Australian Grand slam. The two promising indians Amrithraj and Bopanna left the scene, the latter without a noise and the former created a flutter. And the big nail in the box was the ousting of Carlos Moya, the crowd puller, by our very own Somdev. Lee and Hesh followed suit by then leaving the Indian hopes completely on the shoulders of Somdev. Little would have expected Somdev to overcome Moya and though it is a proud thing that an indian was through, would he be able to grow any further in the tournament?, was the fear the organizers had.
Somdev Devvarman, a Tripura-born Chennai lad learnt his tennis in the same venue for his first few years, before leaving for the US. He came in with no expectations into the tournament and after the first few matches, he had the whole of India cheering for him. After killing one giant in the form of Moya, Somdev was ready to face another. Ivo Karlovic, the world no. 25 was the next opponent for Somdev and the Indian was upto the task. The 6'10" croat was never in control of the match as the comparitively puny Somdev raced through the match with a handsome 7-6, 6-4 victory over the croat. Now ther was a smile in the face of the organizers, as Somdev filled in the shoes of the likes of Davydenko and Moya. As the QF was viewed by a full house, Somdev ensured that the remaining matches also get the same response. The much awaited match between Somdev and Rainer Schuttler was not on, as the German withdrew from the match with a wrist injury. By now, even the doubles matches were viewed with great interest by the public. Somdev's tryst with glory was finally ended when he went down fighting to Mario Cilic. The crowd though had witnessed a pulsating encounter and were treated to a great exhibition of professional tennis. Somdev may have lost the final, but won many hearts in front of his home crowd. And also he made the organisors happy and ensured that there were no more talks of the tournament moving out of Chennai. The $450000 tournament is here to stay and we chennaites should be always there to support them.
But for some reason, the 2009 edition. the 13th succesive edition, of the tournament was feared to be a low key affair. The few reasons being non participation of top ranked players, as Rafeal Nadal pulled off for playing in the prestigious Dubai Open, and the long eluding Federer also citing the same reason. The highest ranked player was Russian Nikolay Davydenko ranked 5th in the world and YES, there was the Chennai favourite Carlos Moya along with some big names like Rainer Schuttler, Mario Cilic who were among the top 30. And then there were our own boys Rohan Bopanna, Prakash Amritraj and Somdev Devvarman. The two greats of India- Lee and Hesh preferred to pair up with different partners and contest in the tournament. So was this enough to draw the chennai crowd?
The attendence for the first two days were not encouraging, and the sight of empty stands would not have been a pleasant sight for the organizers. But that was not a surprise though, as the crowd starts to pour in only from the quarter final rounds. But it seemed unlikely that even the QF round would be graced by the people as the developments during the first 2 rounds were not at all good. Davydenko, the most valuable player of the tournament withdrew citing a heel injury and was also expected to miss the Australian Grand slam. The two promising indians Amrithraj and Bopanna left the scene, the latter without a noise and the former created a flutter. And the big nail in the box was the ousting of Carlos Moya, the crowd puller, by our very own Somdev. Lee and Hesh followed suit by then leaving the Indian hopes completely on the shoulders of Somdev. Little would have expected Somdev to overcome Moya and though it is a proud thing that an indian was through, would he be able to grow any further in the tournament?, was the fear the organizers had.
Somdev Devvarman, a Tripura-born Chennai lad learnt his tennis in the same venue for his first few years, before leaving for the US. He came in with no expectations into the tournament and after the first few matches, he had the whole of India cheering for him. After killing one giant in the form of Moya, Somdev was ready to face another. Ivo Karlovic, the world no. 25 was the next opponent for Somdev and the Indian was upto the task. The 6'10" croat was never in control of the match as the comparitively puny Somdev raced through the match with a handsome 7-6, 6-4 victory over the croat. Now ther was a smile in the face of the organizers, as Somdev filled in the shoes of the likes of Davydenko and Moya. As the QF was viewed by a full house, Somdev ensured that the remaining matches also get the same response. The much awaited match between Somdev and Rainer Schuttler was not on, as the German withdrew from the match with a wrist injury. By now, even the doubles matches were viewed with great interest by the public. Somdev's tryst with glory was finally ended when he went down fighting to Mario Cilic. The crowd though had witnessed a pulsating encounter and were treated to a great exhibition of professional tennis. Somdev may have lost the final, but won many hearts in front of his home crowd. And also he made the organisors happy and ensured that there were no more talks of the tournament moving out of Chennai. The $450000 tournament is here to stay and we chennaites should be always there to support them.
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