Briyani Movie Reviews and Discussions

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Posted: 11 years ago
#1
Movie:
Biriyani

Director:
K. E. Gnanavel Raja

Cast:
Karthi, Premji, Hansika, Mandy

Music:
Yuvan Shankar Raja

Avg user rating:

So here's the bottom line. The much hyped Venkat Prabhu diet- Biriyani is the blandest one you must have had in recent times. The larger problem here is that this film doesn't have the crackle and pop of a rom-com, a thriller or even cleverly written comic lines.

The film rides on its title value, but has nothing really to do about food. Basically it lacks a proper script and looks like Venkat scribbled it on a tissue paper during a Biriyani lunch. It is nothing but a mish-mash of scenes and gags recycled from director's own earlier hits.

The first half is all about boozing, bikinis, women (repeatedly referred as items, pieces and chicks, there is even chick meter), double meaning dialogues and how to correct' a woman! And the second half peters out to be a murder mystery where our hero Sugan (Karthi) is framed

Talented actors like Nassar, Sampath, Ramki, Jayaprakash are stereotypes who has no defined roles to play. Venkat as a director makes Ajith and Vijay fans happy showing Mankatha song as a flash mob in a crucial scene and a Vijay song on TV.

We wonder what attracted Karthi to accept this film. He is suitably befuddled, but struggles to shine under the limited scope of his role. Hansika, sincere despite the surface-level depth of her character, is completely wasted in the film. She disappears after a blink-and-miss appearance in the first half only to resurface in the climax.

Premji like in all Venkat Prabhu films is there throughout and he doesn't have a single original one-liner or dialogues to make you laugh. New find Mandy shows off her cleavage to the maximum and is perfect oomph quotient.

Touted as Yuvan's 100th album, there is not a single track which is hummable. Lyrics like Girls, girls, bikini bikini... are pedestrian and there is hardly any song which will stay in your mind. On the whole, a lazily scripted film that leaves you bored and searching for the exit. It's as enjoyable as eating yesterdays Biriyani that's been left out in the cold.

Verdict: Below Average


Source- www.sify.com

-------------------


BIRIYANI MOVIE REVIEW

Release Date : Dec 20,2013
Biriyani (aka) Biriyani review
Review by : Behindwoods Review Board
CAST AND CREW
1 of 3
Production: K. E. Gnanavel Raja
Cast: Hansika, Karthi, Mandy Takhar, Premgi Amaren, Ramki
Direction: Venkat Prabhu
Screenplay: Venkat Prabhu
Story: Venkat Prabhu
Music director: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Background score: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography: Sakthi Saravanan
Dialogues: Venkat Prabhu
Editing: N. B. Srikanth, Praveen K. L
Art director: Videsh
Stunt choreography: Silva
Dance choreography: Kalyan, Raju Sundaram, Shobi
Singers: Bhavatharini, D. Imman, Devan Ekambaram, G. V. Prakash Kumar, Gaana Bala, Karthi, Premgi Amaren, Priya Himesh, PSYCHO.unit, Rahul Nambiar, Ramya NSK, S. Thaman, Tanvi Shah, Vijay Antony, Vilasini
Lyrics : Gana Bala, Gangai Amaren, Karky, PSYCHO.unit, Tanvi Shah, Vaali, Yuvanshankar Raja
PRO: Jhonson
Distribution: Studio Green

Biriyani, the delicious dish, becomes the focal point of director Venkat Prabhu's 5th film after a very successful outing in Mankatha. The All Boys' club is almost there with a new key addition in the form of the energetic Karthi. Biriyani is also a landmark film for Yuvan Shankar Raja as it marks the one hundredth project of the talented music composer.

The tagline of the film says, it's a Venkat Prabhu diet' and Biriyani in all forms and shapes establishes the irreverent style of the director that is thoroughly enjoyable. The weird fetish of Karthi to have Biriyani as the main dish for his liquor accompaniment and his pursuit of the same lands him and Premji in unpalatable situation. The consequence of this is the main ingredient of Biriyani giving this dish' its characteristic Venkat Prabhu flavor.

Karthi is every bit the playboy Sugan and his impish smile and nonchalant body language render the character an endearing feel. He dishes out a charming performance either in the manner in which he scans girls from top to bottom or the way in which he delivers his dialogues. He also scores in dancing and action sequences.

Premji is the perfect foil for Karthi and their chemistry rocks in Biriyani. Even though Premji's antics are much on expected lines, the self deprecation mode helps with indha dialougai evalo naal daa solluvae". Through the film, Premji makes the audience laugh, being at the receiving end of Karthi's waywardness.

Very typical of Venkat Prabhu, comedy pervades in the most serious of situations and one can't help admiring the director's dexterity in this segment. With dialogues like "nee aasai padaradhu unakku kedaikkum, naan aasai padaradhum unakku kedaikkum" and "avanukku endha car pidicha ennanga, otta poradhu naan dhaanae", Venkat Prabhu reiterates his shenanigans.

There is almost a battalion of supporting cast in the form of Jaiprakash, a much beefed up Sampath, Uma Riaz Khan, Nasser, Ramki, Vijayalakshmi, Subbu Panchu and Madhumitha. And a blink and miss' appearance of Jai also gets noticed with a cheeky statement of the director. Mandy Thaker is her seductive best and Hansika is her ravishing self.

Much has been said about Yuvan's tracks whose popularity tells it all about their success. Venkat Prabhu has used them aptly without them being a protraction although when appearing in grave circumstances. Pom Pom Pennae, Run for Life and Mississippi numbers are well choreographed and sprightly shot. Cinematographer Sakthi Saravanan's understanding of his director has resulted in the right kind of angles and mischievous lighting and the cameraman makes a cameo with a comical statement to Karthi in the hospital.

Screen play of Venkat Prabhu is pacy and the director keeps his cards close to the chest for a larger part of the film only to keep the audience guessing till the climax. The writing is crisp, the lines are funny and the audiences are taken through a fun and suspense ride in Biriyani.

To encapsulate, Venkat Prabhu's Biriyani while adhering to the director's recipe, has humor, suspense, music, action and glamour in delectable portions resulting in a delicious product.

Verdict: Karthi-Premji duo makes this Venkat Prabhu diet taste yummy

Source - www.behindwoods.com



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Posted: 11 years ago
#2
TOI review

Biriyani

M Suganth, TNN, Dec 21, 2013, 10.27AM IST
Tags:Biriyani Review|Biriyani
Critic's Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Cast: Karthi, Premgi Amaren, Hansika, Nasser, Ramki, Mandy Thakkar, Sampath, Prem
Direction: Venkat Prabhu
Duration: 2 hours 29 minutes
Avg Readers Rating:
Check out
Biriyani Tamil
show timings in
Delhi/NCR
Sat 21 Dec 2013
Find
Synopsis: Sugan, a compulsive flirt, and his friend Parasu, go after Maya, a sexy woman they encounter at a Biriyani eatery, in the hopes of a promiscuous night. They get drunk and pass out, and when they wake up, they find the cops on their heels, blaming them for the disappearance of business magnate Varadarajan.

Review: Venkat Prabhu definitely knows how to have a cake and eat it too. Fun is certainly the core of all his movies " not only the fun he has while making a film but the fun the audiences have while watching them " even when the genres are varied, be it a sports movie (Chennai 600028) or a thriller (Saroja), or even a noir (Mankatha). That is the case with Biriyani as well. It is essentially a murder mystery but Venkat seasons it with his brand of wink wink nudge nudge filmmaking, and turns it into an engaging entertainer.

The plot revolves around Sugan (Karthi), a compulsive flirt, and his friend Parasu (Premgi), who is always unfortunate when it comes to women (Sugan is mostly to blame). Sugan has an on-off relationship with his girlfriend Priyanka (Hansika), a TV personality, and he makes an impression on business tycoon Varadarajan (Nasser), who is being investigated by CBI officer Riyaz Ahmed (Sampath) for a quarry scam. Meanwhile, the duo encounters the sultry Maya (Mandy Thakkar), who invites them to her hotel. They pass out in her room but when they wake up, the cops are chasing them, blaming them for the disappearance of Varadarajan. What is the mystery here?

It was only recently that we had Naveena Saraswathi Sabatham, which was based on the premise of The Hangover. And, now, we have Biriyani, which seems to be the Venkat Prabhu version of The Hangover. Early in the film, Venkat shows a scene from The Hangover playing on the TV. Parasu jokingly remarks that it is not a great film because he remembers everything even when he is stone drunk. At that moment, the scene seems like a mere pop cultural reference but it is only when we see Sugan and Parasu trying to remember what happened in Maya's room do we realize that it is Venkat's way of foreshadowing things. This happens quite a bit in the film " with the occupations of Sugan's friends and girlfriend (which come in handy when they try to solve the mystery) and their fracas on the road with another car, and you understand the thinking that has gone into the script. There is even a plausible reason for Hansika's bad lipsync " she is Priyanka Sharma! There are also clever employments of modern-day fads " when Sugan searches for Maya, Parasu 'watsapps' the picture to their friends, a flash mob in a crucial scene not only becomes a provider of one more clue to Sugan but also functions as a tribute to actor Ajith. The director also smartly strews his red herrings " Varadarajan's son-in-law (Ramki) who stands to gain most from his disappearance, Riyaz, a hitwoman who could have been employed by Varadarajan's rivals.

The film does take some time to get take off despite beginning with a car chase (too much time is spent on establishing Sugan's flirtatious nature), there are a couple of instances that are too much of a coincidence (the people with whom Sugan and Parasu have a quarrel just happen to have a Varadarajan connection, Riyaz's cop friend Vikram having something to do with the case) and the climax gets a little convoluted as Venkat goes for a twist ending (much like in Mankatha) rather than a straight one, but the script is racy enough (in both sense of the word) that you do not mind them much.
Edited by --aarthi-- - 11 years ago

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