<p>Ravichandran’s “Hoo” has blossomed now, when the summer is almost at an end with rains pounding the city mercilessly. But it is difficult to smell any fragrance of this flower. A story that worked in Telugu (Vasantham), “Hoo” suffers from ennui. The craziness that made the Crazy Star is missing. The director-actor, making a comeback of sorts after three years, makes minimum use of his stock of tricks – an indication, that this dream boy has mellowed considerably. <br /><br />He seems to be going through the motions with his birds, flowers and long sashes in the songs. His abilities are instead limited to some heavy emotional scenes where his woebegone expression adds to the impact. Meera Jasmine is adequate; her expressive eyes and body language bring to life Jasmine effectively. Namitha as Anju, disappoints both critics and the front-benchers. Performance-wise she is restricted in a tiny role while the presentation of her ample assets leaves the seeti-wallahs panting for more. <br />Artwork by Ismail and Raghu is first rate. Harikrishna’s music can’t be savoured. It is time the director touched base with his young fans.</p>
<p>Ravichandran’s “Hoo” has blossomed now, when the summer is almost at an end with rains pounding the city mercilessly. But it is difficult to smell any fragrance of this flower. A story that worked in Telugu (Vasantham), “Hoo” suffers from ennui. The craziness that made the Crazy Star is missing. The director-actor, making a comeback of sorts after three years, makes minimum use of his stock of tricks – an indication, that this dream boy has mellowed considerably. <br /><br />He seems to be going through the motions with his birds, flowers and long sashes in the songs. His abilities are instead limited to some heavy emotional scenes where his woebegone expression adds to the impact. Meera Jasmine is adequate; her expressive eyes and body language bring to life Jasmine effectively. Namitha as Anju, disappoints both critics and the front-benchers. Performance-wise she is restricted in a tiny role while the presentation of her ample assets leaves the seeti-wallahs panting for more. <br />Artwork by Ismail and Raghu is first rate. Harikrishna’s music can’t be savoured. It is time the director touched base with his young fans.</p>
