Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada

[MysteRy]

Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada-Audio review

Cast: Simbhu, Manjima Mohan, Baba Shegal, Sathish
Music: AR Rahman
Lyrics: Thamarai, Madhan Karky
Direction: Gautham Vasudev Menon

 Album Analysis:

Thalli Pogadhey
Singers: Sid Sriram, Aparna Narayanan, ADK
What can one say about a song that has snatched 2 million YouTube views till date and is literally being hum by every urban youngster these days. ‘Thalli Pogadhey’ set the tone for the movie and propelled the trailer to a new effect. Sid Sriram delivers yet another scintillating number under Rahman. The tune does sound wayward initially and one feels it is all over the place. But, it slowly engulfs one and soaks us in. The ‘Thalli Pogadhey’ hook line is unanimously the best we have had in recent times – in terms of lyrics, rendition. The song has a gothic atmospheric to it with a haunting humming accompanying time and again. Special kudos to Thamarai for penning some beautiful lines throughout the song. Although the rap portion at the end is a bit of a downer, one has gotten used to it by now. Song of the year!

Showkali
Singers: ADK, Sri Rascol, Aditya Rao
When the teaser for ‘Showkali’ got released, we were all puzzled on the sheer randomness the song was dwelling on. On listening to the full track, ‘Showkali’ proves to be the show-stealer here. Aditya Rao’s voice looks to be suiting Simbhu to the tee and ADK’s rap portions are just bombastic as the song progresses. The arrangements are EDM centric with more focus on beat boxes and synthesizers. Addictive, instantly!

Avalum Naanum
Singer: Vijay Yesudas
Avalum Naanum impressed straight-away when it was played along with the initial teaser long back. The song has a mellifluous attribute to it and is ear pleasing in all aspects. The extended interludes with violins, own the song. Bharathidasan’s lyrics deserve special mention as they play out almost as the primary hero of the song. Vijay Yesudas justifies the rendition thereby, making this a simple, uncomplicated Rahman number to cherish!

Idhu Varai 
Singers: Aditya Rao, Jonita Gandhi
 ‘Idhu Varai’ looks like something from the pages of ‘Blue’(the band). When it comes to slow & romantic numbers like this, it all boils down to how good the singers carry off the song. Aditya Rao & Jonita Gandhi do it exceedingly well. Madhan Karky’s lyrics play to every romantic’s gallery. GVM has got some great material on hands to shoot montages. 

Raasaali
Singers: Sathya Prakash, Shashaa Tirupati
 ‘Raasaali’ is the album’s classical delight! Having garnered critical acclaim already, ‘Raasali’ has a fresh pallavi that seems to be working with charanams derived from legendary classical pieces like Ninukori.  The Muthai Thiru spin off interludes are the big highlight here. Although the song is on the slower side, it does get the usual Rahman hang and becomes addictive after several listens. 

On the whole, ‘Acham Yenbathu Madamaiyada’ has AR Rahman in scintillating form with 5 masterpiece songs. GVM’s success ratio with his music composers is intact and the album is bound to be renowned for the quality of lyrics it has produced. This album works instantly & one doesn’t need the excuse ‘Rahman songs are slow burners’ here. It is so refreshing to see a Rahman album being uncomplicated and work in the first instance!

[MysteRy]

Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada Review

Director: Gautham Vasudev Menon
Cast: STR, Manjima Mohan, Sathish, Baba Shegal, Daniel Balaji

Good news! Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada 9AYM), is the typical classy Gautham Menon movie which is satisfying and highly recommended.

Ultimately it is the screenplay that lifts the film above the ordinary. It is bright and breezy, emotionally engaging and superbly acted drama that is subtle and nuanced. The balance between romance and action is perfect, making the trip a delightful one. Manjima Mohan is a perfect find- a fresh face, who fits into the role of Leela to the T. Be it her acting, make-up, costumes, screen presence and dubbing- she is perfect.

STR as always is a delight to watch and he holds the film through his intense performance along with Rahman's breezy songs and exemplary original background score. To be precise, the VTV team is back with a bang! The first half of AYM is filled with light, soothing, feel-good romantic moments while towards intermission, the film takes an U-turn and becomes an edge-of-the-seat action thriller.

The key to an engaging film is the lead actor. Kudos to Gautham Menon, for bringing back the STR we loved in VTV and he delivers a performance that doesn't miss a beat.

It’s an excellent return to form for Simbu. Though the actor's physical changes (due to the delayed production) looks odd, he compensates all the flaws with his powerful screen performance and likeability factor. He shares a comfortable chemistry with Manjima that make this film an easy watch. Sathish as STR's friend Mahesh and Baba Sehgal as the police officer is perfect casting.

But the film is not without problems. The last 20 minutes of the film was a bit too hard to believe with no logic. We guess that the director wanted to play to the gallery and bring more commercial elements into the narrative to satisfy STR fans.

Cinematography in Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada ( (first half- Dan Macarthur, second half - Dany Raymond Joseph) is a huge plus. The first half has a breezy blue tone while second half has the red color tone suiting the action thriller mode.

Without a doubt, Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada is AR Rahman's best in recent times. The magical musician mesmerizes with his lovely songs while the background score lifts the film to a different level in the second half. Rajeevan's art and Uthara Menon who is the costume designer and stylist deserves special mention.

Another interesting aspect of the film are the realistic gun fights and combat action sequences within closed space.

The minor hiccups notwithstanding, Achcham Yenbathu Madamaiyada is a charming film with fun and warmth at its heart. Don’t miss it. We highly recommend it!