Maamannan (2023)
The buzz for the movie since the announcement has been very high but for some reason I couldn’t buy into the hype until yesterday until Dhanush tweeted praise for the movie. Be it the songs or trailer or numerous interviews of the crew (didn’t watch a single interview), I wasn’t moved.
Thankfully so, I watched the movie this morning and Maamannan is a decent flick from Mari Selvaraj that talks about oppression in an urban setting laced with politics.
Firstly, the biggest and the major reason for anyone to watch this movie is Vadivelu. For an actor who made us laugh for the past 3-4 decades, Vadivelu makes us empathize and feel for him in the movie. From simple dialogues to expressions to looks, Vadivelu owns the movie right royally.
A lot has been said about Fahadh Faasils acting ability and Maamannan is another testimony to the pile of what a great actor he is. There's a particular sequence in the second half and the way Fahadh carried himself and delivered in the scene, Dhanush shaking in the corner.
Udhay was poor in the movie with a confused characterisation and even poor portrayal that couldn't save the disaster that he was. He definitely cannot even act to save his life. Keerthi Suresh was decent, neither great nor bad.
The biggest plus of Mari Selvaraj in his previous films was the establishment of the environment. Be it PP or Karnan, he takes his own sweet time to set up the atmosphere, the characters and the dynamics between them, it went missing in the movie as I felt a disconnect with Maamannan's world and myself. Due to the same, the proceedings became less impactful.
Albeit this, Maari strikes the chord with a couple of brilliant sequences that proves Mari's prowess. As in his previous movies, the dialogues are great and so are his technicalities. Special mention to the cinematography that captured the essence of Salem to the fullest.
Songs and BGM from ARR were good and more than suffice for the movie but I cannot stop wondering if SaNa would have provided a more effective score for the film.
Overall, a decent flick from Mari Selvaraj that's worth watching only for Vadivelu.
