ALL IN ALL AZHAGURAJA ("INTOLERABLE CRUELTY")

November 2, 2013.

Cast: Karthi, Santhanam, Prabhu, Kajal Agarwal.

Director: Rajesh.

First it was Santhanam’s dialogue mocking the “Smoking kills” ad that landed the film in trouble; next Rajesh gave a shock telling from now on his films would be having only situational comedy (something which he has not proved himself to be good at); now finally when the film has come out it looks like the biggest trouble is the film itself!

Azhaguraja (Karthi) runs a local channel AAA TV with the help of Kalyanam (Santhanam). His father (Prabhu) owns a stationery shop and his mother (Saranya) is a homemaker. As is customary in a lotta Tamil films he falls for Chitra Devi Priya (Kajal) at first sight.

Apart from the point above, till OKOK, Rajesh’s films had some kind of a story in them but Azhaguraja is different from them in this aspect also, the film keeps drifting aimlessly for an unbearable 2 hrs and 54 minutes; more or less like the answer to a 20 mark question in a Madras University Exam!!

Karthi and Santhanam try their very best to make something out of the intolerable screenplay but sadly all their efforts go in vain owing to the dull writing and execution. The flashback that comes in the second half where Karthi plays Prabhu’s younger days is more like a caricature gone horribly wrong. It will make one wonder what the director was thinking while making those portions because of the preposterousness of it all! Karthi makes a mockery of himself trying to imitate Prabhu with a single exception of the song with Radhika Apte.

There is only one scene that provides entertainment in whole film where Kajal’s father laments about the sufferings he has gone through because of her singing. The portion where M.S Bhaskar teaches Bharatanatyam to Kajal is also acceptable when compared to the rest of the film.

With one of the worst screenplays, dry dialogues that make the most cheerful of persons indifferent and tasteless songs All in All Azhaguraja is a real pain. Please stay away!

I am giving 0.75 for All in All Azhaguraja. This is Intolerable Cruelty!!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.