The dust has finally settled down. The big hype surrounding the release of Deepavali movies too has come to close.

A total of half-a-dozen movie has hit the screens on Deepavali day creating great hype and expectations among the audience. Vijay's 'Azhagiya Thamizh Magan', Suriya's 'Vel', Sathyaraj's 'Kannamoochi Yaenada', 'Polladhavan' starring Dhanush, Jeevan starrer 'Machaakkaran' and 'Agra', a movie featuring newcomers.

It was celebration time at various cinema halls and multiplexes last week when these films hit the screens. Fans celebrated in joy the movies hitting the screens.

Let's check out the response and box office results of these movies.

'Vel'

'Vel' starring Suriya in dual roles and directed by Hari has opened in a big way. A typical Hari film with emotions, sentiments, humor woven around a couple of families, 'Vel' has managed to get positive reviews from the audience. The movie is doing well specially in B and C Centres.

'Azhagiya Tamil Magan'

Vijay's 'Azhagiya Tamil Magan' has witnessed a bumper opening. Almost all the shows in Chennai city have been running to packed houses. Vijay dons a dual role. However his role with negative shades has not gone down well with his fans. The movie features Shreya, Namitha and Ashish Vidyarthi in the cast. Rahman's music has failed to strike the right chord.

'Polladhavan'

Dhanush's 'Polladhavan', a typical Chennai film, has managed to garner positive response from the masses. Directed by Vettrimaran the movie, starring Divya and Daniel Balaji in prominent roles, has catchy songs, pulsating stunt sequences and earthy humor.

'Machaakkaran'

Jeevan's bad guy image among the audience is the USP of 'Machaakkaran'. Directed by Thamizh Vannan, the movie starring Kamna Jethamalani opposite Jeevan has witnessed a good opening. The movie has seen good crowds in Chennai city. Yuvan's songs have failed to resurrect the movie.

'Kannamoochi Yaenada'

'Kannamoochi Yaenada', produced by Radhika Sarath Kumar and directed by Priya V, is a romantic comedy, inspired from the Hollywood film Meet the Parents. Prithviraj, Sandhya, Sathyaraj, Radhika performs with ease to make the movie worth watching. A decent family entertainer sans any skin show, ‘Kanamoochi Yaenada’ is doing well among family audience.

Vil, produced by S.S. Chakravarthy, has actor-director S.J. Suryah in a completely different role.

As a person who has physical disabilities, Suryah sports a long-haired look and will also be donning thick spectacles. The make-up session alone takes four hours everyday. Suryah is chiselling his role by observing the disabled at the home for disabled in Thiruvanmiyur.

Shirin is one of the heroines in Vil. The search is on for the second heroine.

Story, screenplay and direction for Vil are by Prabhakar. S.J. Suryah is determined to make Vil a sure success.

Balu Mahendra's favourite assistant, Vetrimaran turns director with Polladhavan. It has Dhanush and Divya (formerly known as Koothu Ramya) in the lead. Vetri has made his mentor proud, and his style of narration and takings are very similar to the ace director, though he has told a dark and disturbing tale, throwing light on the bad and ugly underbelly of Chennai underworld.

Vetrimaran's basic inspiration is the 1948 Italian classic The Bicycle Thief, directed by the master director, the late Vittorio De Sica, and is considered by critics' world over to be an all time masterpiece. Vetri has taken the thread of the film, of a working class guy, who has been unemployed for a long time and lives in poverty and is given a job on the condition that he must have a bicycle. He pawns the family linen and buys the bicycle, which unfortunately gets stolen on his first day of work. He goes all round Rome trying to trace the stolen cycle, as the police are unwilling to help. It is a brilliant film of the ruined post-war Italy, and pulls at your heartstrings and tells the story of a nice man who feels the pangs of guilt that he cannot support his family.

Similarly Polladhavan is about a happy, straightforward, unemployed young man Prabhu (Dhanush), living a lower middle class life in a slum in Vadapalani- Saligramam area of Chennai whose dream is to own the ultimate status symbol of the youth- a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle! His family consisting of a disciplinarian and strict father (Malayalam actor Murali), loving mother (Bhanupriya) and sister blame his friends (Karnas and Santhanam) for their son's wayward life. One day Prabhu is found stealing money from his father who in a fit of rage throws Rs 70,000 at him, his life savings when he is accused by his son that he has not done anything for him!

Prabhu, buys a black Bajaj Pulsar with the money and shows off in front of his girlfriend Hema (Divya). He is able to get a job in a bank as collection agent, only because he owns a two-wheeler. Suddenly he realizes the job and the bike has given him respectability in the society he lives in. His father now looks on him with certain amount of respect, his girl friend starts adoring him and takes him home, introduces him to her parents and they talk of marriage, all this was unthinkable a few weeks back!

Then the story takes a twist as Prabhu's life gets intervened with that of the dreaded don Selva (Kannada actor Kishore) and his psychotic younger brother Ravi (Daniel Balaji), who runs the local drug mafia. One thing leads to another and Prabhu is shattered as his life's most priced procession, the pulsar bike gets stolen and he loses his job and mental peace, as he starts a hunt to trace the stolen bike! All this leads to a stunning climax inside a freezing ice factory.

Obviously, Vetrimaran has been influenced by the classic, which he has Tamilised and set in a lower middle class Chennai milieu, added Kollywood masala, stylistically shot with video footage, moodily lit interiors, authentic locations, top line performances from the entire cast including the junior artists, music video style songs and picturisation, and knockout action scenes are some of the high-points of this racy entertainer. G.V Prakash's music and background score makes the film peppy. The soft romantic number Minnalgal Koothadum is the pick of the album while Engayum… the remix is peppy.

On the downside in the second half there is relentless killing, and the cat and mouse game between Dhanush and Daniel becomes repetitive after a point. The censors have butchered the film and due to the cuts, abrupt ending of scenes and muting of dialogues makes it jarring. Happily on the acting front, Vetri has been able to extract life like performances from his actors.

Dhanush is first-rate, opting for a restrained mode. As Prabhu, he is so- hot-'n'-cool, that you can feel the fire-'n'-ice within. His six-pack abs and the way he fights like Bruce Lee in the climax, is riveting! Kishore the guy who comes as the level headed don Selva is expressive and has a great future in Tamil cinema. Daniel Balaji is impressive as Ravi, the envy-ridden brother of Selva. And the glamorous Divya is super, so completely immersed in her character that she takes your breath away with her expressive eyes. Murali and Bhanupriya are adequate, while Karnas, Santhanam and Anju ( as Selva’s wife) shine in their well-etched out characters.

Evidently the director is influenced by the Quentin Tarantino type violent gangster movies, with raw human emotions. But where he has succeeded is his characterization of his protagonist, the typical middle class cravings for good things in life and his research of Chennai's mean streets, especially the scenes showing how bikes are stolen and transported out of the country! On the whole, with all its ups and downs, Polladhavan is racy and worth a look.

Priya V has done it again! Another beautiful love story, well-told!

Harish Venkatraman[Prithviraj], is the rich Iyer boy - an orphan brought up by his strict uncle,[Radharavi] in Malaysia. Devasena[Sandya], daughter of the Chennai Commissioner of Police[Sathyaraj], is studying in Malaysia. Fate works her magic and the two bump into each other.

In spite of her haughty airs and cutting remarks, Harish is attracted to her effervescent nature. In the one month she has before she needs to return home, he convinces her to befriend him and find out if she can fall in love with him. And obviously, he manages to charm her with his words and deeds, and love springs in her heart as well.

Along with love, the fear of how to convince dad! Harish decides to go with her to India, to meet her parents and woo them too! In the meanwhile, Harish's uncle goes about setting up a marital alliance for Harish with a friend's daughter, but this is more of a business alliance, meant to improve his contacts and meet his business needs. Outraged that Harish has chosen his own wife, the uncle threatens to get him in trouble with police. Harish spurns his uncle and decides to leave with Devasena. To shield her from unwanted and avoidable worries, he does not tell her about what transpired between him and his uncle.

Devasena has with the help of her mother managed to convince her dad to meet Harish. Devasena's father, Arumugam, is the typical upright and strict cop. Everyone, including his family, trembles when he speaks. This is the man who the sweet and charming Harish has to befriend and win over. From the time the two meet, Harish is put under the microscope. Cop dad views his daughter's boyfriend, as a criminal; like a vulture waits for him to display some grey shades.

It is at this point that the Uncle from Malaysia intervenes; he leads Arumugam to believe that Harish has swindled him, and run away to India with Devasena to escape from the Malaysian Police. At the exact same time, Harish confides in his mother-in-law[Raadika] to be about his spat with his Uncle. She promises to talk to her husband about it but even before she has the chance to do that Arumugam throws Harish out. Outraged and fed up of living with a man who does not care to listen to her views and opinions, she walks out on him - Devasena leaves with her mother.

How do Harish and Devasena get back together? How does Arumugam make up with his wife and the rest f his family? Watch the movie to find out!

Sathyaraj as the police daddy does his bit to perfection. Raadika, plays the sweetheart mother, obdient wife and rebel wife, in her own wonderful style. With his sweet smile and handsome features,Prithviraj carries off the ladies' man truly well. Sandya, who has grown in reputation as a good actress has once again given her best. Sripriya, who is gracing the silver screen after a rather long break, plays Arumugam's runaway twin sister.

Yuvan's music is amazing. Two songs that tug at your heart are Megam Megam sung by Haricharan and Swetha, and Sanjaram sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Madhushri. Thamarai's lyrics make these songs extra special, and Preetha's camera has weaved a magical feel into these melodies. Andru Vandhadhum Idhey Nila is an interesting remix-cum-original tune! While Kannamoochi Yenada is the carnatic and rap mix, with some rather dramatic visuals.

Priya V's screenplay and Preetha's camera have worked hand in hand - one complementing the other. A Sivakumar's dialogues are simple and fit the story perfectly. All this combined with the delightful performance of the lead and supporting stars have made Kannamoochi Yenada a treat, an interesting experience.

Sri Rajakaliamman Medias Vel is Suriya's double-treat for his fans for Diwali.

Saranya and Charanraj, fond, proud and doting parents of twin boys lose one of the twins during a train journey when the twins are three months old.The children grow up in different locations and backgrounds with distinctly different traits.

Vetrivel (Suriya) is the reactive young man, the adopted and treasured offspring of a reputed and influential family in a village. There is a visceral anger in the young man's heart that comes out in threatening magnitude against his foremost rival Sakkara Pandi (Kalaabhavan Mani). Vel also guards the innocent villagers from the ex-minister's harassment. The deep enmity and vengeance present in him are traced back to a touching flashback, in which Vel loses his foster-parents.

Vasu (Suriya), a city-slicker, runs a private detective agency. Vasu is sauve, smart and the brilliance of his action lies in his unique way of handling things. Vasu's life is lit up when TV compere 'Seven-up' Swathi steps into his dutiful life. Caught in the close wrap of parental protection, Vasu is dead set to find his twin brother and to put a stop to the pangs of guilt his parents have been consistently experiencing.

Eventually, the twins come to know of each other's existence. Vasu plants himself in Vel's residence and wins the family's acceptance to spend a few days there. He then parts from the family with the promise not to reveal the truth to his embittered parents. But the twins find themselves caught in deep frustration over their overturned lives, lives filled with a desperate longing. It is then that they decide to swap places.

Vasu as Vel applies his plan of action, curbing the deep-rooted violence embedded in his twin brother's life. Vel, for a change, drenches himself in the warm solace of love that he had missed for the major portion in his life.

Progressing in their chosen paths and roles, both encounter hindrances; at one fine moment, the truth is revealed. Optimistic and single-minded Vasu moves ahead, ropes in his fiancee and aides, establishes his share of love for the family he lives with and fights for their protection. Vel joins him towards the end in their shared mission to destroy Sakkara Pandi .

Wait! There is still a lot more to watch on screen!

Vel has a slight degree of predictability that surrounds the double-role plot. But the film is so full of life and realistic twists, especially in creating larger-than-life qualities from believable characters that are within convincing sensibility. And the only difference between the two roles is expressed in the looks--Vel has a tough moustache and a streak of tilak, whereas Vasu has charming stubble.

The director Hari's fine touch lies in neutralizing the violence element in a heroic character through suitable sequences explaining and justifying the same.

Vel's cast is appealingly, yet predominates screen space. Still, each and every character has a unique significance and continuity that flows smoothly with the main theme. Vadivelu and Charlie are Vel and Vasu's companions respectively. They also handle a matching comedy track in the movie. Lakshmi, as the caring elder and guiding mentor of the extended family, contributes to the wholesome feeling in the film. Suriya, in addition to anchoring the film through his impressive double-impact, shares a natural chemistry with Asin. Asin has done a great job doing her role with a great degree of likeability. Kalaabhavan Mani, as the menacing villain, has done remarkably well.

Camera work is brilliant, capturing the extensive spread of green fields and bubbling waterways. Yuvan's fast numbers and his good work in re-recording have added the required musical dimension to the film.

Vel puts up an enjoyable show, mature and realistic in story and cast.

Vijay is back with a bang after Pokkiri. The actor has managed yet again to give a complete entertainer that will please the masses. The biggest strength of the film is its humour and debutant director Bharathan has managed to bring it all together in the movie very well.

ATM may not be appreciated by everyone, but Vijay’s fans will definitely be pleased with their Ilayathalapathy.

Guru (Vijay)is a management student. He is also a champion runner. He lives with his friends (Santhanam and Sathyan) in a rented house owned by former sex- bomb Shakeela (Shakeela in a cameo as herself!). He is a good guy and very popular among his friends and neighbours. A darling of his parents who live in a village near Madurai.

Guru falls in love with Abhinaya (Shriya), a rich girl and daughter of a tycoon (Ashish Vidyarthi. Abhinaya too takes a liking for Guru due to his good nature. The couple faces some initial opposition, but the parents agree for their marriage.

Suddenly Guru starts seeing things the immediate future! The doctors say he has Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP). This boon turns out to be a bane when he has two bitter experiences.

What makes things worse is when he has a premonition of he killing Abhinaya. This disturbs him very much and he breaks his relationship with Abhinaya and moves to Mumbai.

This point in the movie marks the entry of Vijay no.2 Prasad. A financier, Prasad accidentally meets Abhinaya when he comes to Chennai. Abhinaya mistakes him for Guru. This misunderstanding leads to the two getting engaged.

Meanwhile Guru feels that something bad is about to happen to woman of his dreams. He returns to Chennai to rescue the damsel in distress.

The scenes between Vijay and Shriya are lot of fun. Shriya has a very good role and the actress has done a very good job of it. Her role is at par with Vijay’s and she passes with flying colours.

Santhanam as the hero’s side kick is a surprise package. He has excelled in his part.

Vijay as Guru and Prasad has yet again proved his penchant for comedy. But it is the negative role that surpasses. May be Vijay should try his had at a complete black character.

Rahman’s musical score combined with amazing picturisation makes the songs a treat. Sadly, Nee Marliyn Monroe… an item number picturised on Vijay and Namitha in Phuket islands has faced the censor scissors! Camera work by Balasubramanian is stunning. But holds the film back a bit is it running time of nearly three hours. A little more time spet on the editing table will make the film faster paced and fun. Also passing off Hyderabad as Chennai is kind of a dampener!

Having said that, ATM is a complete mass entertainer and Vijay is truly the Azhagiya Tamil Magan of Kollywood!