Pokiri, which has emerged the clear winner at the box-office, has been offering nothing less than a sumptuous treat for fans that are thrilled and delighted every time their favorite hero appears on screen.
Right from the titles, the font, the introduction scene with a dialogue which goes, “Avan adichaa adi vizhaadhu, idi vizhum,” (“If he bashes, you don’t feeling the thumps, you feel like a thunder just fell on you”) until the very end, director Prabhu Deva has sustained the fervent tempo throughout.
The first song in the film ‘Pokiri Pongal’ makes the audiences gleefully cheer for their hero. When Prabhu Deva joins Vijay for a short while, it is whistles and excitement at a heightened state! Kudos to both of them on providing a feast to the audiences though they appear together only for a few seconds.
Pokiri is Vijay and Vijay is Pokiri. At the same time, it is amazing to see how the team-work has synchronized so well to give us an output in the form of a racy, power-packed, engrossing, action entertainer that leaves the audiences thirsting for more. If for the most part of the film you admire Vijay and Prabhu Deva, for the rest you cannot but resist sneaking up to the person next to you to whisper, “Hey, the camera by Nirav Shah is superb. What do you think?” and other times, “Isn’t the editing by Kola Bhaskar crisp and fast enough so much so that it enhances the tempo of the story?” Well, the person next to you could well just say, being the normal layperson in the audience who does not understand the lingo of technicalities, “I do not know what you are talking about, but I’m amazed at Mani Sharma’s music.”
That’s Pokiri for you. Packed and packaged with a gripping narrative, this film is sure to leave audiences spell-bound in the first half and at the edge of their seats in the second half. If the songs are scintillating, the rerecording is titillating! Adding gusto to the music, the songs have been well choreographed and have been picturised beautifully in exotic locales. It is a fact that the editing and music have added to the impact of the scenes. There are people who say that violence is a ‘bit too much,’ but that is what the storyline is all about! It’s beating up baddies and doing poetic justice. In such a film, the part of stunt master Fefsi Vijayan is remarkable. The stunt sequence in the scene where Asin proposes her love to Vijay deserves special mention. If you kept batting eyelids, due credit must be given to Fefsi Vijayan.
Art by Kadhir deserves mention. The sets are especially superb in songs, particularly in Maambazhamam mambazham and a few stunt sequences
The punch dialogues from Vijay evoke enormous response from the audiences even after the film has crossed a week. “Naa oru thadavai mudivi panninaa en pechcha naane ketka matten,” which means, “If I decide once, I will myself not listen to what I think later,” is one dialogue that thrills Vijay’s fans.
Likewise, the comedy track by Vadivelu. Some regional magazines call him ‘Vedi velu” (cracker velu) and you realize that this term is completely justified when you watch the film. If you cannot think of Suriya the next time you hum or listen to Suttum Vizhi Sudarae, don’t blame Vadivelu. The scene is so hilarious that it tickles the ribs of virtually every person in the theatre.
Asin, as usual, is brilliant. There are many who feel that Simran’s place has still not been filled in the Tamil film industry because Simran captivated hearts with not just her histrionics but also her dancing abilities. Vijay and Simran’s combination has particularly enthralled audiences because when they dance, it doesn’t make you dance but makes you stay put wherever you are just to watch how brilliantly they match their steps well. That Asin is an excellent dancer is established by her boisterous steps, which she does with an amazing ease. As far as performance is concerned, she does her part very well.
In all, it is indeed Pokiri Pongal and by the looks of it, the film will continue rocking theatres.
Good show, Pokiri team!
With not much to talk about last year, Vijay opens this year with ' Pokkiri', a remake of a successful Telugu film with the same name. Directing the Tamil version is Prabhu Deva, who, after directing two Telugu films, makes a few changes here. Prabhu Deva is confident that his film would be an equally big success in Tamil, it being a record-breaker in the Telugu, version. With Vijay is lucky mascot Asin. The supporting cast has big names like Napoleon, Prakashraj, Nasser and Mukesh Tiwari. There's Vadivelu for the comedy factor. With camerawork by Neerav Shah, the film has music by Mani Sharma, stunts by Fefsi Vijayan, and the sets by Kathir.
With three hits and a flop and the odds favouring him, Vishal opens the year with ' Thamirabharani'. The film is directed by Hari, who has the knack of packaging commercial ingredients in an interesting way and showcasing his actors in an appealing way to their fans. The director, who had introduced Nayanthara to the Tamil screen, has brought in yet another Malayalam actress to Tamil. It's Bhanu (aka Muktha of 'Achan Urangatha Veedu'). There's added value with Prabhu and Nathiya also being part of the cast. Rohini, Vijaykumar, Manorama, Arthi, Akash and Nasser play supporting roles. Produced by the prestigious Vijaya Productions, the film has music by Yuvanshankar Raja, cinematography by Priyan and editing by Vijayan. 
It may be just his third directorial venture and the hero's debut film, but ' Paruthiveeran' is a film awaited with much expectation. Because it is helmed by Amir who's earlier release 'Raam' had earned much critical acclaim and commercial success. Also, this film introduces as hero Karthi, younger sibling of hero Surya. So there's the curiosity value of how he would perform. With Karthi there is Priyamani, Saravanan, Ponvannan, Ganja Karuppu, Ammulu, Sampath, among others. "He moulded me like a sculptor, and if my performance is talked about, it is thanks to Amir," says Karthi. He has sung a couple of lines for a song too under the baton of Yuvanshankar Raja. Amir has chosen about 60 villagers to act in his film. The story is set around Madurai and centeres on the life of a brave youth, Paruthiveeran, who becomes the messiah of his people. "I have not cut any corners," says Amir who is also the film's producer.
Jack-of-all-trades T Rajender is back after a long gap with his new release ' Veerasamy'. He scripts, directs, produces, cranks the camera, composes the music and pens the lyrics, apart from playing the lead role. Paired with him is Mumtaz, a Rajender discovery, this film a being re-launch for her. Playing the young romantic hero is Rajees, sharing frames with Sheela and Meghna Naidu. The supporting cast includes Charlie, Murthy, Pandu, M S Bhasker, Muthukalai, Kottachi, Sukumar and S N Parvathi. The sets are designed by Mahi, editing by Antony, and dance choreography by Melvin. The film has been produced on a lavish scale. There are nine songs, Rajender has sung three of them, and son Simbu has sung one song.
A surprise entry among the Pongal releases is the Karthik-starrer ' Kalakkara Chandru' (earlier titled 'Adirshtam'). A long time in the making, the film is a remake of the Jairam-starrer 'One Man Show'. It is about a man in prison who comes out on parole to take part in a game show on a TV channel. The money that he would win would tide him out of a difficult situation. A comic entertainer, it has Kartik paired with Bhuvana aka Anu, and Preethi Varma. The supporting cast has Pandiarajan, Radharavi, Urvasi, Mohanram, Suruli Manohar and Pahalwan Ranganathan. Directed by Raviraja, it is produced by Sampoornammal.
And then there is the film which is probably the most hyped one of the year. The Mani Ratnam-scripted and directed 
Everyone is still very much into the 'Pokkiri' mania which has not only been gripping Chennai, but also many other parts in the world. The movie is doing spectacular business in places like Kerala, United Kingdom, United States of America, etc. The movie has also taken a 100 percent opening in Tamil Nadu and is holding super strong due to the excellent 'word of mouth' that everyone has been spreading about the movie.