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Khaleej Times
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Malavika Mohanan wraps shooting for spy action flick 'Sardar 2'
Actor Malavika Mohanan has finished shooting for the Tamil film 'Sardar 2'. Taking to Instagram, Malavika posted a string of pictures from the sets in Thailand. "...This is a special one... See you in the cinemas soon," she wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Malavika Mohanan (@malavikamohanan_) A day ago, Karthi announced the film's wrap with several pictures of the film's crew. Sardar 2 is the sequel to Sardar, a spy action thriller that featured Karthi in dual roles as a father and son. Ashika Ranganath, Yogi Babu, and Rajisha Vijayan are also part of the film. The first film starred Vijayan, Raashii Khanna, Chunky Pandey, Laila, Rithvik, Munishkanth, Avinash, Yugi Sethu and Balaji Sakthivel.
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Gajaana OTT Release Date Confirmed: 4 things to know before watching Vedhika and Yogi Babu's Tamil film online
Gajaana OTT Release Date Confirmed: Vedhika and Yogi Babu recently starred together in this Tamil supernatural flick, which arrived in theatres on 9th May this year. Written, directed and produced by Prabadish Samz under his Four Square Studios, the film is now ready for its digital debut. Here are four things about Gajaana that you must know before streaming it. 1. When and where to watch Gajaana? Gajaana will be streaming on JioHotstar starting June 2, 2025. The film had a terrible box office reception with just Rs 5 lakh as its lifetime collections. 2. Gajaana's cast and crew Other than Vedhika and Yogi, Gajaana also stars Inigo Prabhakaran, Chandini Tamilarasan, Hareesh Peradi, Pratap Pothen, Karate Karthi, Ilango, Sendrayan, Vijayalakshmi Veeramani, Knife Naren, Velu Prabhakaran, Pooja Shankar, Rajesh, Sahana Venkataraman and Nithiya among others. This Achu Rajamani musical is cinematographed by Gopi Duraisamy and Vinod JP, edited by K.M. Riyas. 3. Gajaana's plot overview A group of people enters a mysterious forest called Nagamalai, hoping to find a magical treasure and get rich. But this isn't a normal forest, it's cursed and full of strange, dangerous creatures. As they go deeper, things start going wrong. Some members of the group disappear or die under mysterious circumstances. They soon realise that the forest is protected by a powerful mythical creature called the Yali, a mix between an elephant and a lion. The group has to figure out how to escape the forest, break the ancient curse, and survive the supernatural threats chasing them. In the end, their greed turns into regret, and only those who respect the forest's power have a chance to survive. 4. Gajaana's review The Times of India rated the movie 2 out of 5, and a part of their review read, 'Gajaana is amateurish, ill-conceived and pretentious. Right from the evidently fake blood to the poorly conceived CGI animals, Gajaana is let down by poor execution. Gajaana gets butchered in execution with its unnecessary positioning of a sequel, unconvincing CGI and the lack of focus given to individual character arcs.'
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Social media campaign by GCC featuring a girl child adorned with garbage draws flak
A social media campaign by GCC, pertaining to solid waste, has come under criticism as the civic body had portrayed a girl child in an insensitive way. After the civic body featured a girl child with garbage on the head alongside actor Yogi Babu on social media, many residents lodged a complaint on the system to redress grievances, demanding that the civic body delete such posts, and scrap the campaign. Madipakkam resident and Madras High Court Advocate filed a complaint online on Thursday against what he claimed was an insensitive portrayal of a girl child. He shared the information on social media alleging that it was an offence against women and children. 'I filed a complaint on Thursday with the number 2025 - 614GHE after I saw a girl child portrayed with garbage on the head with the words Ithu Kuppai Matter Illa. However, on Friday, the civic body changed it and carried a similar template with actor Yogi Babu standing while the girl child crowned herself with garbage. I have asked GCC to delete all such templates for civic campaigns from X and Facebook. Even if the girl child is AI generated, it will offend residents.' Advocate Sudha Ramalingam said it seems to be an insensitive way of depicting the girl child, a sort of stereotyping of the role of women. 'The man stands without the burden of the garbage while the girl child is burdened with the garbage. This depicts our deep-rooted stereotyped ideas of females being responsible for cleaning. Gender neutral advertisements and not gender specific advertisements should be done,' she said. Geetha Ganesh, secretary of AGS Colony RWA, Velachery West, said: 'It's unfair representation. It could have been shown as, in her mind within the cloud as if she is thinking.' Jamalia resident Ahmed Sirajuddin asked: 'What do they mean by dumping garbage on a child's head ? Whatever message GCC wants to communicate to the citizens, this is not the way to communicate.' former GCC engineer, said it was quite wrong. T. Nagar resident V. S. Jayaraman said the campaign was insensitive. 'Does any person dump garbage on anybody's head, more so on any child. This is an insult to the children,' he said. MDMK councillor said: 'Even though we cannot accept such a campaign depicting a girl child with garbage on the head, the picture also evokes a sense of concern about the probable impact of the waste to energy plant on the younger generation.' Chennai Corporation officials said the civic body will launch a campaign to sensitise all the people about various civic issues without hurting the sentiments of residents.
News18
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Ace Movie Review: Vijay Sethupathi's Dated Film Offers A Few Good Laughs
Last Updated: Vijay Sethupathi's Ace would have been a lot more fun if the year was 2015. Unfortunately, except for a few good moments courtesy of Yogi Babu, the film is a tiring affair. A question that remains unanswered till the climax of Ace is why it is set in Malaysia. Like many of our films, the geography has no bearing on the script. Ace could happen in Chennai or in any godforsaken place, and nothing would affect the film. It is like the songs of the past that were shot in picturesque locations, a supposed act of delivering a visual treat to the audience. But such questions will be considered silly as Ace is immune to rational thought because the film is supposed to be a mindless entertainer. The problem is that it is more mindless and less entertaining. Vijay Sethupathi plays a mysterious character of questionable identity named Bold Kannan. When the film starts, he lands in India, and through his telephonic conversation with his friends in an Indian prison, we learn that the protagonist has a past life of crime. He is received by Arivu (Yogi Babu), and Bold Kannan begins his new life as a cook in a struggling restaurant run by Kalpana (Divya Pillai). She has a deadline to pay off her debt to a gang. Meanwhile, Kannan falls for a girl named Rukku (Rukmini Vasanth), who he meets during his commute to office. Ruku is also in a fix as she has to pay back a huge sum to get her stepfather, a rapist, out of her house. Kannan, in an attempt to get them out of such troubles, plays poker with a gangster named Dharma (Avinash), which lands him in a bigger problem. Now, the film becomes a heist as Kannan robs a bank and schemes to pin it on the villains. The fresh aspect of Ace is that it tries to do the cliches of Tamil commercial films a bit differently. For instance, the meeting of Kannan and Rukku. Kannan ends up walking behind Ruku, a familiar scene in Indian cinema. However, he now has a reason to do so. He is a politically correct protagonist. Even a heroic party fight is subverted, where the two female leads get to punch and kick. At times, the film even undercuts such cliches at the cost of becoming a parody. More than all this, what actually works for Ace is Yogi Babu and his usual antics. While Yogi Babu's sporadic one-liners and sarcasm are some of the saving graces, it doesn't rise beyond being another version of the Parthiban-Vadivelu comedy from Vetrikodi Kattu. It needed more creative ideas than just barely scratching the surface. For instance, we get a sequence of Kannan playing poker, which could have been a high point in the film. Instead, writer-director Armuga Kumar turns the sequence pedestrian without indulging much into the game, fearing the audience wouldn't get it. Such lack of confidence becomes unbearably visible in a trailer of sorts to the second half that is played just before the interval. I was left wondering whether the makers were worried that the audience would never come back after the interval. If that was the case, why not fix some obvious problems like the long-running time? But what is putting off about Ace is its datedness. The film would have been a breath of fresh air had it come during the times of Ayan (2009) or even Mankatha (2011). While it would still be a bit drab then, the subversions would have been a bit new, but now, Tamil cinema is obsessed with undercutting its cliches, which has become one in itself. However, the catch is such subversions have now become a scope for humour and a statement from the filmmaker that he is self-aware. The problem with Ace is that it could have been a Tamil version of Equalizer, which seems to be a heavy inspiration for the film. Yet, the tone here is too frivolous for such a cathartic revenge film. Ace tries to be a lot at the same time. It tries to be a film about a mysterious hero, a typical Tamil comedy-drama, a romantic drama, and a heist film. Unfortunately, it ends up being nothing sold. First Published:
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Ace' movie review: Vijay Sethupathi, Yogi Babu cannot save this middling comedy-thriller
Imagine an ordinary person, poor, lonely and single, naively daydreaming about situations as follows. What if I could fly to a foreign country, preferably with a large Tamil diaspora, like Malaysia, and meet a stunningly gorgeous woman, like that actress from Sapta Saagardaache Ello? It would be a bummer if our paths don't cross often, and so what if she lives opposite my house and we take the same train to reach our day jobs? Also, what if she needs a lot of money, and I become a prince charming with godly luck at Poker, or, say, rob a bank? After all, it's a dream, so I get to decide how outlandish my story can be. This is largely how the story of Ace pans out. If convenient writing is a game of poker, Ace is a royal flush. Yet despite a ridiculous storyline, this is a surprisingly entertaining film till a point (far better than what the trailer suggested). Four things work well in its favour. First, it features Yogi Babu at his comedic best. As Arivukarasan, the actor is riotous throughout the film, and nine out of 10 jokes land with impeccable timing. Then comes the lead romantic pair, Vijay Sethupathi and Rukmini Vasanth, who are adorably cute as 'Bolt' Kannan and Rukmini. They charm their way through the film with the smallest expressions — watch how hesitantly Vijay grins when Rukmini first waves at him from her balcony — and somehow make you forgive scenes with lazy writing. Indeed, their playful banter throughout the 'Urugudhu Urugudhu' song makes you crave a rom-com. Speaking of songs, Justin Prabhakaran's music plays a vital role in elevating the film's mood. He sticks to his assignment, and the background score makes its presence felt without seeking much attention. Finally, writer-director Arumugakumar does show occasional flair in scene writing, and a knack for suspense that could have come in handy in a better film. Ace (Tamil) Director: Arumugakumar Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Rukmini Vasanth, Yogi Babu, BS Avinash Runtime: 156 minutes Storyline: To save his girlfriend from her abusive stepfather and to save himself from a loan shark, a man attempts to steal money from a bank in Malaysia, only to land in trouble Though all this keeps the film afloat until intermission, they fail to sustain a material so thin, and, at times, even tedious. Interesting ideas are introduced without much follow-up, like Kannan's top-tier Poker skills. Arivu's employment as a sanitation worker, the restaurant their friend and well-wisher, Kalpana (Divya Pillai), owns, or the drug cartel run by Dharma (BS Avinash; as a kingpin who traps Kannan and Arivu in a huge debt), are all settings we are introduced to but with no roles to play in the larger scheme of things. A sub-plot about Rajadurai (Babloo Prithviraj; as Rukmini's obnoxious stepfather and police officer) blackmailing a young girl with her sex tape takes up so much space, only to become conspicuously unnecessary. Everything derails when the film takes itself too seriously by attempting to be a suspenseful heist thriller. In fact, Ace has all the necessary ingredients to become a good romantic caper, but it never finds its tone. A serious thriller with an innovative heist is one thing, and an out-and-out comedy where the plan goes hilariously wrong is another. Ace is neither. Its flaws are evident in two central action sequences. One happens when Kannan and Arivu are chased by Durai's men, while the other is an elaborate escape plan. You either laugh at everything silly Yogi Babu does or utters, or you miss him whenever Arumugakumar attempts to conjure a Mission: Impossible out of thin air. At one point, Arivu, distressed by Kannan persistently asking him to trust his hush-hush plans, quips, 'ennada plan'u plan'u nutu, enna maati vidradhu dhana da unnoda plan'u?' This, and how Ace wishes to reveal information about its mysterious protagonist, pretty much sums up the film as well — it keeps its cards close to the chest, reveals some, throws away the rest, and declares itself a winner. Ace is currently running in theatres
