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Manathodu Mazhaikalam-A Review

September 22nd, was a day that was marked in our family calendar as it happens to be the release of a much awaited movie "Manathodu Mazhaikalam", which happens to be directed by my cousin.I happened to see the preview of the movie, a couple of weeks back at AVM,with my family.Incidentally this is my cousin's(aunt's son) third movie,after Arpudham and a gult movie .By the way, he is called Arpudhan in the tinsel world, after being called Babu at home.The movie showcases a lovely concept of whether Guys and girls can stay friends,even though being close.Mind you this isnt the friendship which is like "Rakhi Bhaiyaa" or a "turned down-lover-so-best-buddy" friendship, that I am talking about. Hum TuM debated the same thing and came to the conclusion that "beech mey pyaar a hi jaathi hain". Whether loves comes or not, I guess its the Indian socviety mentality that would prevent such a relationship from even being known.

MM starts off with life in college, which nicidentally was shot near Chrompet Jain college and partially in a college called St.Johns college in Chalakudi,as my cousin brother puts it.The narration of college life was a little far fetched from reality, and the way charecyers have been showed are too shoddy and certainly this is where a Minnale differs from a MM. MM really maks the viewer watch the movie with glued interest only after the interval.The movie is extremely thought provoking in the second half,as to why things happen the way it does in the second half, but its certainly worth the moolah spent on the movie.

Story goes like this

Boy 1 is a reckless guy in college, girl 1 liks him, tries to flirt, he ignores girl 1, and falls for girl 2,when girl 2 makes an impact on his charecter,as her dad's pretty influential.They start going around and all of a sudden discover that they more so like to be friends than being married.Girl 2 marries the " morey mappilay" while, Guy 1 marries girl 1. How Guy 1's life is spent after that, and his memories form the part of the story.

BTW...Girl 1 is wasted in the movie and the relationship between girl-2 and guy-1 looks so much like they are in love, but they arent.Even an act of guy 1 presenting a ring to girl 2, makes the audience a little queasy and the act is hard to belive, that they are still freinds.I'd leave that to the movie going audeince to discern whatever they can from the movie.

I see a lot Malayalam heroines making a dent in Kollywood and they have ensured healthy competition in tinsel town. Nithya Das is the latest and welcome addition. I hear from chennaionline that she was part of the success team of Kunjukoolan and Ee Parakkum Thalika. She plays her role with conviction and brings off a lovely performance essaying her role with a certain surety, that is remiscent of a seasoned actor.

Shaam plays the male lead pitted with Nithya. Director Arpudan(a.k.a Babu), who got his first big break in the Super Good Films banner Arpudam, says that the story is confined to the happenings in a college and narrated in a poetic form and is extremely enthusiastic about his movie.I asked him about the lack of a comedy element in the movie, and he quickly retorted with a smile saying "its a serious subject between 2 people" and I guess somewhere down the line, in making this movie he has got too involved with the concept, that he has lost out in marketing the movie via other frills that are neccesary to position itself as a product.

'The supporting characters are kind of ok, and do not really express themselevs so well.Even though this is a college subject with a view to giving the freshness and realism in a world so different from what one envisages., it somehow does make the moviegoer feel at the end of the movie that "this could have been made better".

The other credits are: Karthik Raja (music); Muthukumar (lyrics); Raju Sundaram, Kalyan and Brindha (dance masters); Guna (stunt) and Umesh K Rupesh (art). The music in the mobvie is a turn off, but for a very well picturised song caled "butterfly", while the others were run-of-the mill stuff.



In a happy frame of mind,after the movie preview, Arputhan, the director said he has the ideal script to present it in a poetic form with much of the happenings confined in a college. In that prevalent mood, he hastened to add that the artistes were chosen to meet the demand of the script and not the other way round. Well, I differ from him , as I felt the prescence of a noted comedian could have given the movie a better branding.

He also adds in n interviwe to a tamil website 'The script did not require any big names. The screenplay has been fashioned in such a way to leave the viewers in a trance. Once that is achieved, more than half a battle is won. It is then a question of ensuring that the viewers' interest is retained till the end.'

Samiksha 's character could have been made better,as I feel's she's not been used properly.Her role here is similar to Rani Mukherjee's in KKHH, but the quality of a director totally comes to the fore here, in terms of reaching out ton audience.I dont intend comparing Karan Johar and Arputhn, but as a movie reviewer, I feel Arputhan , needs to boslter his support cast to really make the story meaningful.Hopefully, this campus caper will prove a turning point in his career. I wish him all the best with his latest release.

My verdict - *** out of 5, but its worth watching, especially in the second half.