Skip to main content

Maaniik




Ma Ka Pa’s previous film Panchumittai was a one-of its-kind magical realism, which unfortunately, had a terrible screenplay. With Maanik, too, he has attempted a different genre which has ample fantasy and spoof elements. Many ladies come in the life of Maanik (Ma K Pa) though it is Keerthi (Suza) who loves him sincerely. Maanik is cursed by a fate that the father of any girl whom he proposes passes away. One day, he and his friend get kidnapped by a dreaded goon (Aruldoss) in town, and are asked by the latter to indulge in criminal activities. How both of them escape from his clutches forms the story.

The film has an intriguing plot which is let down by a below average screenplay. Though the logical loopholes are justified by the film’s genre, there are instances that are unconvincing. At the same time, there are certain dialogues that evince laughter, but such instances rare. Ma Ka Pa’s performance as a confused youngster who falls frequently into troubles is apt for the role, while Aruldoss’s portrayal of a goon who murders almost 700 people goes overboard and tests patience. Maanik would have been a decent fun ride had the screenplay been a little better with convincingly written characters.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kuthiraivaal

  Kuthiraivaal Movie Review:  Manoj Leonel Jahson and Shyam Sunder’s directorial debut Kuthiraivaal brims with colours and striking imagery. This is apparent as early as its first scene, where its protagonist Saravanan alias Freud squirms in his bed, suspecting a bad omen. As some light fills his aesthetic apartment wrapped with vintage wall colours, his discomfort finally makes sense—for he has woken up with a horse’s tail! The scene is set up incredibly, leaving us excited for what is to come. But is the film as magical as the spectacle it presents on screen? Kuthiraivaal revolves around Saravanan (played by a brilliant Kalaiyarasan) and his quest to find out why he suddenly wakes up with a horse’s tail, and on the way, his existence in life. Saravanan’s universe is filled with colourful characters, almost magical yet just real enough—be it his whimsical neighbour Babu (Chetan), who speaks about his love for his dog and loneliness in the same breath, or the corner-side cigar...

Maaran

Even as early as about five minutes into Maaran, it’s hard to care. The craft seems to belong in a bad TV serial, and the dialogues and performances don't help either. During these opening minutes, you get journalist Sathyamoorthy (Ramki) rambling on about publishing the ‘truth’, while it gets established that his wife is pregnant and ready to deliver ANY SECOND. A pregnant wife on the cusp of delivery in our 'commercial' cinema means that the bad men with sickles are in the vicinity and ready to pounce. Sometimes, it almost feels like they wait around for women to get pregnant, so they can strike. When the expected happens—as it does throughout this cliché-ridden film—you feel no shock. The real shock is when you realise that the director credits belong to the filmmaker who gave us Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, that the film stars Dhanush, from whom we have come to expect better, much better. Director: Karthick Naren Cast: Dhanush, Malavika Mohanan, Ameer, Samuthirakani Stre...

2.0

                                What would it be like if the characters from Endhiran find themselves inside the plot of a typical Shankar movie? 2.0 is what you would get. Using his pet theme - a wronged individual taking revenge on the people who ruined his life (or in this case, the birds he cares for) - the director gives us a film that is part sci-fi, part horror, part vigilante movie and part special effects spectacle.  The film begins with an old man committing suicide from atop a mobile phone tower. We are then introduced to scientist, Dr Vasigaran (Rajinikanth) and his now assistant Nila (Amy Jackson), a humanoid robot. Soon, mobile phones start flying off the shelves and out of everyone's hands, and Vasigaran is called in to investigate this mysterious occurrence. And when a giant bird, made up of mobile phones, starts attacking the city, the scientist is forced to bring back Chitti (R...