RJ Balaji made a cracker of a writing debut with LKG last year. This time around, he makes his debut as a director with NJ Saravanan in tow and Ishari K Ganesh of Vels International bailing him out as a producer here as well and it’s an appreciable effort. Yes, our man has graduated from LKG to MA with flying colours.
Balaji as Engels Ramasamy is your typical annan, shouldering a large family of five – a grandfather, a mother and three sisters with the father having abandoned them, straight out of an 80s film. However, the marked difference is humour being used to highlight the issues of the family rather than the familiar, weepy stereotyped screenplay. And it is not like the family is always wallowing in self-pity or something. They lean on each other and go about by their business. They are resigned to their fate, but they do it without complaints.
The family comes into contact with Mookuthi Amman, played by an in-form Nayanthara with the dubbing aiding her. However, Amman has an agenda of her own instead of just granting their wishes and making their dreams come true.
Stylised on Rajkumar Hirani’s PK, Mookuthi Amman plays out as a diluted version, questioning godmen and their plans. The writers raise a valid question when they ask why do these godmen, ok for gender neutrality, god persons run educational institutions, sell shampoo, sambar powder and such. We wish the scene with Manobala we saw in the promos made it to the final cut since otherwise it looks like just one religion has been targetted.
The film is not without its flaws – a typical TV program to question god persons, one that reminds you of Anwar Rasheed’s Trance and a few preachy dialogues find their way into the movie, bringing in some monotony. You also get the feeling Balaji has held himself back a little and perhaps tried to tread a bit carefully. The nakkal is quite not all the way.
Even if everyone knows it, Mookuthi Amman needs to be appreciated for raising a few valid points, particularly about women - the ones who run your households from dawn to dusk without a break. Have you ever taken the time out to appreciate their cooking or paid a compliment that’d bring a smile to their faces? Societal convention requires that women need to show a father in the house to be married – why not make them stand on their feet so that such superstitions fade away? We also see grandfather Moulee partaking in domestic activities and it's a much welcome gender bender.
Music by Girishh G gives the right tempo for the film with the "Aadi Kuththu" song by LR Easwari being a cherry on the cake. Editing by RK Selva ensures the film moves at an affable speed while the hues by Dinesh Krishnan are on point.
We are thankful to the writers for not imposing any unwanted romantic tracks. Ishari K Ganesh also deserves praise for giving the film the required budget to paint it with lush production values.
Mookuthi Amman is currently streaming on Disney+HotstarVIP