Biriyani | Tamil Movie Review – Served Hot And Spicy!

A Venkat Prabhu creation, this is served in a very well decorated platter for palettes of all kinds. This is one of those movies you would not regret having spent two and a half hours in a theater.

For all those of us who have been to a Venkat Prabhu movie before, we can surely know what to expect on the screen. I went in to the theater expecting a comedy track that battles with the storyline in close combat and somehow, both of them come out victorious. I was not completely let down. The director’s unique touch, which, to me, has become his own genre, stands out throughout the movie. Though there are parts of the movie that are clearly not a unique idea, the touch is present, making it different. The main characters of the movie have played their parts pretty flawlessly. Premgi, for instance, give you just what you came for. Karthi, for once, has been used well by the director. Hansika mesmerizes the screen with her presence (I won’t argue with anyone who does not share my thoughts about her being a ‘Umphhffff’ factor). What I noticed as one of the major pillars for the movie to be as good as it is, is that the director has played safe in capitalizing JUST the strengths of each actor. For instance, Premgi, as ever, has been portrayed as Premgi, no different. Sam Anderson’s role just cracked me up, yes, but it was plain Sam Anderson. Karthi’s slack jaw dialogue delivery and his ‘eye roll’ at women, his reactions to dialogues, immensely useful in setting up the ploy in the movie or the punch line in the joke, but it was JUST Karthi. Hats off to the director for choosing the right characters for the right roles, but the actors have just performed “their” roles. I did not see Karthi or Premgi acting. I just saw them perform. Even the director, has given us with a ‘Venkat Prabhu’ classic movie. With the guest role that Jai performs, the director has played his part to perfection, but it was not different. I think it is great that everyone has done their best, but it only gets amazing when they do their best outside their comfort zone.

I have to mention the screen play and the story building involved in the movie separately. It deserves that much. Anyone who goes to the movie with no idea as to what the story is about would be dazzled by the way the director walks the story along through the movie. There is no way this story would have blown the audience away without the lovely use of humor and the actors. It can only be Premgi and Prabhu who could have come up with the name for the movie (I have not done the research as to who named the movie, but their sense of cynical comedy is written all over the word ‘Biriyani’). The movie iterates the simplicity and effectiveness of the title.

A friend of mine asked how the ‘item’ song was. So here is a special mention for the item song: I am now truly in love with Mandy Takhar. Again, non-believers in her hotness can leave a comment to be duly ignored. What a song it was! Premgi proving he can hold his character even through a scene like that is commendable.

One tiny point I noticed during the movie that I thought I have to mention to the director’s credit is that, during the start of the movie, he shows a scene from ‘Hangover’. Biriyani draws some serious inspiration from this Hollywood movie, and I think it was nice that the director, in his own way, acknowledges it. The art director and their team have done a great job in the movie. I was amazed at the beach party scene they showed in the introduction song. I would not have guessed it was all shot in VGP Golden beach, Chennai. The setting for the “Missisippi” song was also amazing!

Summing it all up, Biriyani is something everyone must savor. And it is best when had hot. The director has clearly left an amazing taste on my palate and I would gladly recommend a plate of this for everyone.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

This review has been written by our guest author Siddharth Ravichandran.