Anjali is easily the most-loved and liked actress at present. Though she doesn’t have any major film opposite any of the leading heroes, she does make presence felt in the most telling manner. More than anything else – be it the banner or the hero or the director – seeking and getting performance-oriented roles in all her films appear to be the first criteria to Anjali.

After starring in the award-winning Angaadi Theru last year and in films like Rettai Chuzhi, Anjali has continued her winning streak this year too with significant roles in Ajith’s Mankatha, debutant director Saravanan’s Engeyum Eppodhum and with her latest release Thambi Vettothi Sundaram (TVS) opposite Karan.

She appears to be more careful in selecting her roles and doesn’t compromise on them. Her penchant for selection roles which offer scope to display her acting credentials is not dissimilar to the passion for performance-based roles displayed by yesteryear’s actresses K.R. Vijaya and Khushboo. Though she paired up opposite the doyens of Tamil cinema (MGR and Sivaji Ganesan) in many films, Vijaya had also starred opposite comedian Nagesh in the lead role in a few movies.

Many years later, Khushboo too did the same thing; even at the height of her popularity, she starred opposite the likes of Raja and Pandiarajan. Anjali appears to be taking a cue from them as she doesn’t mind pairing up opposite not-so-famous heroes like Vaibhav and Karan. One has to really salute her spirit and take things in her stride! (KT)

Excitement and Expectations are the two Es, which are associated with Ajith Kumar's 50th movie Mangaatha (Mankatha) release. As expected, Thala rocks the show with his styles, actions and performance. However, the overdose of stunts and useless characters in the film are irritating at parts. Read on for Mangaatha review.

Story:
Sanjana (Trisha)'s father Arumuga Chettiyar (Jaya Prakash) devises a plan to steal 500 crores, the money, which was used for gambling during Indian Premier League. His gang includes Sumanth (Vaibhav), Prem (Premji), an IIT graduate, Mahat (Mahat Raghavendra), Ganesh (Ashwin Kakumanu), a sub-inspector at Dharavi in Mumbai. After their plan to rob comes to know, suspended cop Vinayak Mahadeva (Ajith Kumar) joins the team of thieves. On the other end, super cop Prithvi (Arjun Sarja) takes oath to uproot the betting business.

How they execute their plot? Will they succeed in their mission? What measures Prithivi take to bring the betting business to halt? Answers for all these questions should be seen on-screen, as the excitement of watching the movie will be lost if one reads here the entire story.

Performance:
Ajith Kumar's fans could not have expected for more from their star, as the actor has given his best performance till date. His acting, salt and pepper look with the negative shade in his character are treat to watch. Especially, he impresses the audience during action sequences. Arjun Sarja has proved, why people call him as 'Action King'. He has perfectly fitted the bill. Trisha has not got much to do in the movie. But she excels in her limited role. Vaibhav is good. However, Premiji is not a right choice for the character, as his antics fail to evoke any response from the viewers. Even newcomer Mahat also disappoints you. Jaya Prakash is at his usual best. Rest other character like Anjali and Andrea Jeremiah, who will be seen as Vaibhav and Arjun's wives, are okay.

Technical:
The action scenes are the plus and minus points of the film. Even thought, it has been wonderfully shot, overdose of those scenes in the second half play spoilsport. Nonetheless, watching Ajith Kumar's saying 'I am a mad man' and 'money money money' during stunts are good to watch. Shakti Saravanan's photography is excellent, choreography is simple but energetic. Editor Praveen KL could have been bold in his work, as some scenes are dragging at parts. Music and Songs picturisation are apt. Finally, Venkat Prabhu's direction and screenplay.

Well, the director has almost succeeded in his first ever film with a big star. The filmmaker has fabricated the story keeping all the successful elements at one hand and the tastes of Ajith Kumar's fans at other. Had he not lost the grip on the script, the movie would have undoubtedly become one of the biggest hits of Thala. The screenplay is dragging and gives you a boring experience. Adding to that, too much of characters does not help the proceedings and it is only in the last 30 minutes before the interval, the story becomes interesting. The second half thrills you with twists but irritates with too much of action sequences. However, Arjun and Ajith's climax scene is wonderful shot.

Verdict:
Mangaatha has all the entertaining elements. It is especially for Ajith Kumar's fans and the people, who love action-oriented movies. Family audience may not like the subject. One should watch for the actor's performance and Venkat Prabhu's attempt to make the movie in Hollywood style with local budget!

Cast: Ajith Kumar,Trisha,Arjun Sarja, Viabhav and others
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography: Sakthi Saravanan
Producer: Dhayanidhi Alagiri
Released On: August 31, 2011 (OI)

Excitement and Expectations are the two Es, which are associated with Ajith Kumar's 50th movie Mangaatha (Mankatha) release. As expected, Thala rocks the show with his styles, actions and performance. However, the overdose of stunts and useless characters in the film are irritating at parts. Read on for Mangaatha review.

Story:
Sanjana (Trisha)'s father Arumuga Chettiyar (Jaya Prakash) devises a plan to steal 500 crores, the money, which was used for gambling during Indian Premier League. His gang includes Sumanth (Vaibhav), Prem (Premji), an IIT graduate, Mahat (Mahat Raghavendra), Ganesh (Ashwin Kakumanu), a sub-inspector at Dharavi in Mumbai. After their plan to rob comes to know, suspended cop Vinayak Mahadeva (Ajith Kumar) joins the team of thieves. On the other end, super cop Prithvi (Arjun Sarja) takes oath to uproot the betting business.

How they execute their plot? Will they succeed in their mission? What measures Prithivi take to bring the betting business to halt? Answers for all these questions should be seen on-screen, as the excitement of watching the movie will be lost if one reads here the entire story.

Performance:
Ajith Kumar's fans could not have expected for more from their star, as the actor has given his best performance till date. His acting, salt and pepper look with the negative shade in his character are treat to watch. Especially, he impresses the audience during action sequences. Arjun Sarja has proved, why people call him as 'Action King'. He has perfectly fitted the bill. Trisha has not got much to do in the movie. But she excels in her limited role. Vaibhav is good. However, Premiji is not a right choice for the character, as his antics fail to evoke any response from the viewers. Even newcomer Mahat also disappoints you. Jaya Prakash is at his usual best. Rest other character like Anjali and Andrea Jeremiah, who will be seen as Vaibhav and Arjun's wives, are okay.

Technical:
The action scenes are the plus and minus points of the film. Even thought, it has been wonderfully shot, overdose of those scenes in the second half play spoilsport. Nonetheless, watching Ajith Kumar's saying 'I am a mad man' and 'money money money' during stunts are good to watch. Shakti Saravanan's photography is excellent, choreography is simple but energetic. Editor Praveen KL could have been bold in his work, as some scenes are dragging at parts. Music and Songs picturisation are apt. Finally, Venkat Prabhu's direction and screenplay.

Well, the director has almost succeeded in his first ever film with a big star. The filmmaker has fabricated the story keeping all the successful elements at one hand and the tastes of Ajith Kumar's fans at other. Had he not lost the grip on the script, the movie would have undoubtedly become one of the biggest hits of Thala. The screenplay is dragging and gives you a boring experience. Adding to that, too much of characters does not help the proceedings and it is only in the last 30 minutes before the interval, the story becomes interesting. The second half thrills you with twists but irritates with too much of action sequences. However, Arjun and Ajith's climax scene is wonderful shot.

Verdict:
Mangaatha has all the entertaining elements. It is especially for Ajith Kumar's fans and the people, who love action-oriented movies. Family audience may not like the subject. One should watch for the actor's performance and Venkat Prabhu's attempt to make the movie in Hollywood style with local budget!

Cast: Ajith Kumar,Trisha,Arjun Sarja, Viabhav and others
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography: Sakthi Saravanan
Producer: Dhayanidhi Alagiri
Released On: August 31, 2011 (OI)