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I want to become a complete actor, says Madhavan
By R.G. Vijayasarathy, Indo-Asian News Service 

Bangalore, March 2 (IANS) Madhavan, Tamil cinema's favourite lover boy, is in search of a new image that will let him do roles oriented for mass audiences. 
  

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Recently in Bangalore to attend the premiere of his latest release "Thambi", he talked about his desire for an image makeover. "I want to become a complete actor. 'Thambi' certainly shows a face of mine, which has not been seen before. 

"The role has different shades and I have had an opportunity to innovate and experiment. Everything starting from my looks and hairdo to dialogue delivery is different," Madhavan told IANS.

He elaborated: "I am not telling you that 'Thambi' is my first film in the action genre. I had done a full-length action film like 'Run'. 

"(Director) Mani Ratnam also presented me in different shades in 'Aayudha Ezhuthu'. But in 'Thambi' director Seeman has really given me a role which will form an important milestone in my career.

"Whenever I go abroad," Madhavan said, "people talk to me about 'Anbe Sivam' and 'Kannathil Muththamittaal' (classy films that won critical acclaim), but people in Tiruchi, Toothukudi or Thanjavur will say that they liked me particularly in 'Run'.

"Now my ambition is to penetrate into the interiors and make myself a good brand even in Tiruchi or Cannanore," said Madhavan. 

Madhavan started his career with the Kannada film "Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi" before being introduced to the Tamil industry by Mani Ratnam in "Alai Payudhe". 

He has signed the film "Arya" to be directed by debutant director Bala Shekhar. The movie will deal with a soft-spoken medical student turning into a "violent volcano" after being subjected to humiliation and violent harassment by a bunch of hooligans. 

Madhavan claimed: "I don't say that I am now taking up action-oriented films only because they are winning at the box office. 

"I have really wanted to break out this image trap of a lover boy. The label had stuck to me like a bubble gum after the release of 'Alai Payudhe'." 

Madhavan lonely crusader in 'Thambi'
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Thambi"; Cast: Madhavan, Pooja; Director: Seeman; Rating: **

Madhavan has done action films before. But this time he pulls out all stops. Hair falling to his shoulders, eyes not blinking and teeth clenched in a snide smirk, he plays the lonely crusader with passion and sincerity.

Director Seeman's rhetorical romp into the range of the action star is staged with precise movements of the hero's limbs. The narrative follows suit, though not the entire way.

The plot gives the crusader a street-wise swagger and some brilliant lines about social injustice. But the characters are all cardboard representatives of the crime pages of newspapers. Emaciated victims, peasants and urchins posturing pathetically to enhance the hero's messianic image.

In the midst of all the sound and fist signifying the fury of a self-appointed reformist, Thambi (Madhavan) finds the time to romance the dancer-heroine (Pooja). Comic touches are also insinuated into the script through the hero's sidekick, and the action sequences are shot with clenched conviction.

Thambi wears a look of lingering self-righteousness. It's not easy to identify with the hero's ever-indignant anger, as he smashes the wrongdoers to the pulp. Thambi has a rather unusual way of dealing with social offenders. Rather than annihilate them, he reforms them. 

The plot's over-weaning idealism is seldom supported by the depths of conviction that made Nana Patekar and Amitabh Bachchan such studies in barbed social indignance. 

"Thambi" would have worked a lot better if the hero's hurt and anger at social injustice had been propped up with more credible episodes to sanction his messianic zeal. All we see is the leading man exercising his right to take the law into his hand because the systems of governance have failed.

More brawn than brain, the hero makes you more angry than concerned. Sadly enough, Madhavan gets nowhere beyond the realm of the vigilante gone awry. So busy is he feeling the burden of the world's injustice that Thambi seldom gives us a chance to feel his pain.

Technically "Thambi" scores far better marks than the average Tamil film. The art work by Maniraj and Balsubramaniam's cinematography are poised with confidence on the theme's hyper-requirements.

Finally it's up to Madhavan to shoulder the burden of his character's messianic zeal. He manages double-quick.

Tamil films going through bad phase
By Aparna Nath, Indo-Asian News Service

Chennai, March 6 (IANS) Dogged by a bad patch, the Tamil film industry saw most February releases, except S.J. Surya's "Kalvanin Kadhali.", faring miserably at the box office.

"Dishyum" starring Jeeva and Sandhya fared reasonably.

The top five Tamil films are:

1. "Kalvanin Kadhali" - Director: Thamilvaanan. The film's great opening reiterates that actor Surya has a large fan following. We cannot forget Nayanthara's image as the most glamorous actress in southern India now. This film performed well at the box office in February.

2. "Dishyum" - Director: Sasi. The average success of "Dishyum" shows that there are different audiences for different kinds of films. What has affected most of the films released in February was lack of publicity.

3. "Thambi" - Director: Seeman. It was a big blow to actor Madhavan that none of his recent releases did well. He tried to establish himself as an action hero with "Thambi", but it didn't work because the audience liked his lover-boy image better, though he is not a boy any more. Therefore his fans refused to accept him as a rustic ruffian.

4. "Kalaba Kadhala" - Director: Igore. Arya is being touted as the next big thing in Tamil. Unlike his other films, "Kalaba Kadhala" failed to set the box office on fire. The average success of "Kalaba Kadhala" has almost finished actress Renuka Menon's career in Tamil films. She is the only Malayalam actress who has not tasted success in Tamil.

5. "Paramasivan" - Director: P. Vasu. With the success of "Paramasivan", Ajith is expected to be the next big hero after Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan.
 
Yuvan Shankar Raja on top of Tamil music charts
By Aparna Nath, Indo-Asian News Service

Chennai, March 6 (IANS) Yuvan Shankar Raja continues to rule the Tamil film music scene with his classy numbers. After "Pudupettai" and "Kalvanin Kadhali", his latest hit is "Pattiyal".

The top five Tamil albums are:

1. "Pattiyal" - Music director: Yuvan Shankar Raja. "Pattiyal" is about two young men, and the audio also is aimed at youngsters. Simply put, the music of "Pattiyal" rocks.

2. "Kalvanin Kadhali" - Music director: Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film has hit bull's eye and the music is also topping the charts. The song "Eno kangal" sung by Yuvan and Sadhana Sargam is very popular among the youngsters.

3. "Pudupettai" - Music director: Yuvan Shankar Raja. There is still some time for release of the film but the album is already rocking.

4. "Poi" - Music director: Vidyasagar. "Poi" is K. Balachander's 101st film, which targets youngsters. Naturally the album has a lot of peppy numbers.

5. "Thambi" - Music director: Vidyasagar. The film has not fared well at the box office and soon the music will also disappear from the minds of people.