Movie Review : Kadal
Rating : 2.5 / 5 
Banner : Madras Talkies 
Cast : Gautham Karthik, Arvind Swamy, Arjun, Thulasi Nair,Lakshmi Manchu, Ponvannan, Kalairani, Singampuli and Others
Cinematographer : Rajeev Menon
Music : A R Rahman
Producer: Mani Ratnam, Manohar Prasad
Director: Mani Ratnam 
Released Date: February 01, 2013

Story:
Thomas (Gautham) is a reckless boy who has no discipline and the reason for that is his childhood filled with troubles. But life changes for him with the arrival of Father Sam (Arvind Swamy) a Christian priest who gives him a sense of direction. There is Berchmans (Arjun) who is a notorious guy and he has a past issue with Sam. With his plan, he gets Sam into an issue and puts him in jail. Meanwhile, Thomas comes across Priya (Thulasi) and starts liking her but Sam’s absence again stir his instincts and he joins Berchmans gang. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:
The director has come up with a very different storyline and while the presentation was grand, the narrative was a letdown.  The dialogues were alright. The script was weak and the screenplay was adequate. The background score was not that great and only two songs were worth listening.  Cinematography was top notch.  Editing should have been crisp. Costumes were suiting the moods while the art department was royal. Gautham Karthik did a good job given his debut and he was neat. Thulasi Nair is weak in looks but good in expressions. Arvind Swamy looks handsome as ever and he was impressive. Arjun was the best among the lot and portrayed the negative shades in a good way. Lakshmi Manchu made her presence felt. The others didn’t have much to offer.

Conclusion:
The film is made by Mani Ratnam and it also has the son of Navarasa Nayagan Karthik and the beautiful Radha so the expectations are high. The first half goes about with the layering of the characters and how they relate to each other and the interval bang was not that great. The second half shifts track and focuses on the romance angle with a slightly weak emotional impact. Overall, the film had something to look for but it was not really having that special signature style of Mani in it. At the box office, it would be a difficult one to get success.

Bharatstudent verdict: Cannot be called as one of Mani Ratnam’s best

Movie Review : ABCD: Anybody Can Dance
Rating : 3 / 5 
Banner : UTV Spot Boy 
Cast : Kay Kay Menon, Prabhu Deva, Salman Yusuf Khan,Lauren Gottlieb, Prince Gupta, Dharmesh Yelande,Mayuresh Wadkar, Ganesh Acharya, Punit Pathak and Others
Music : Sachin-Jigar
Cinematographer : Vijay Arora
Producer: Siddharth Roy Kapur, Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Remo D’Souza 
Released Date: February 08, 2013

Story:
An energetic tale the story begins with Vishnu (Prabhu Deva) who is passionate towards dance and that is his life. However, he is thrown out of his academy after bringing it to a good range due to the corrupt plan by his partner (kay kay menon). Just when Vishnu gives up all hope on life and decides to leave Mumbai he comes across a group of talented youngsters (Salman, Lauren, Prince, Dharmesh and others) who are practicing for a competition during the Ganesh utsav because that’s where the best of Mumbai’s dance groups come. Vishnu takes it as a challenge to prove a point and gets this team under him. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:
The director has come up with a completely different subject and while the presentation was nice, the narrative was good in parts.  The dialogues were normal. The script was predictable but the screenplay was effective. The background score was the main strength and two songs were good to watch and hear. Cinematography was top notch.  Editing was required during first half. Costumes were youthful and stylish while the art department was excellent. Prabhu Deva gave a magical performance with his moves and emotional expressions. Kay Kay Menon was superb. Salman Yusuf was alright, Lauren could have been better, Dharmesh was alright, Prince was neat. Others did their bit as required.

Conclusion: This is indeed a new attempt because the total genre revolves around dance and that too in a 3D format. It also brings back Prabhu Deva in front of the camera after a long time. The first half goes about with the layering of the plot and elements of drama and emotion. But the second half gets into full energy with some exceptional dance sequences. Overall, this is a film which suits the youngsters and those with interest on dance. At the box office, this would reach a safe zone. Bharatstudent verdict: Good dance sequences with Indian emotions, passable

Movie Review : Mirchi
Rating : 3 / 5 
Banner : U V Creations 
Cast : Prabhas, Anushka, Richa Gangopadhyay, Sathyaraj,Brahmanandam, Nagineedu, Subbaraju, Sampath, Adithya Menon, Nadhiya and Others
Music : Devi Sri Prasad
Cinematographer : Madhi
Producer: Vamsi Krishna Reddy, Uppalapati Pramod
Director: Koratala Siva 
Released Date: February 08, 2013

Story:
A regular tale, the story begins with Jai (Prabhas) who believes in love all and he lives in Italy for studies. There he meets Manasa (richa) who also comes for her studies and they connect. But Manasa decides to keep away from Jai because her family is from Palnadu and they are faction ridden with enemies and bloodshed. At that moment, Jai returns to India and with some plan he comes to the household of Manasa. What is that plan? Is Jai successful in that? All this forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:
The director has come up with a very routine storyline and while the presentation was rich, the narrative was good in parts.  The dialogues were not that strong. The script was average and the screenplay was decent. The background score was very good and three songs were worth listening. Cinematography was appealing.  Editing should have been sharp especially during the first half. Costumes were stylish and trendy while the art department was real and apt. Prabhas stole the show throughout and he carried his role with conviction. Anushka looks awesome as ever and she was hot. Richa was there to fill the screen and didn’t have much in terms of acting or the situation. Sathyaraj was elegant, Nagineedu was natural, Brahmanandam was funny, Subbaraju was standard, Sampath was impressive, Nadhiya was sensuous, Aditya Menon was good. Sathyam Rajesh made his presence felt. The others didn’t have much to offer.

Conclusion:
Given the fact that this is a Prabhas starrer the expectations are bound to be high but it is better that one doesn’t watch it like that. The film is a routine treat with regular elements. The first half goes with the tracks of songs, action, some comedy and romance. The interval bang changes the momentum. The actual story begins in the second half and that’s where the plot is strengthened. Overall, this is a film which has been made strictly by the formula. At the box office, this will have good openings but it may not be a bumper success or blockbuster.

Bharatstudent verdict: Routine entertainer with average feel, just okay

Bollywood actors and goodwill ambassadors of Unicef Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Sharmila Tagore pledged to work for children’s survival and development.

A three-minute audiovisual (AV) of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) released here Friday featured Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Sharmila Tagore emphasising on the need to give every child a chance to live and reduce the mortality rate.

It also reiterated the need for better health facilities and nutrition for children under the age of fiveThe AV was released as part of ‘Call to Action for Child Survival and Development’, a three-day summit, in the presence of Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The summit has been organised by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in partnership with Unicef Feb 7-9.