Ever since the official announcement about the project, Mr.Chandramouli has always kindled an expectation among the film buffs, especially because real-life father and son are coming together on screen. Yes, we are talking about 'Navarasa Nayagan' Karthik and Gautham Karthik acting together for the first time in Thiru's direction.
Mr. Chandramouli is about the competition between two corporate cab operating companies and how innocent people get trapped into it. How this corporate competition impacts the lives of Chandramouli (Karthik) and his son Raghav (Gautham Karthik), forms the rest of the plot.
The film has all the commercial elements that a common man could ask for, with a slice of romance, action, sentiment, and comedy. But whether all these elements are mixed in the right proportion is debatable. The first half doesn't majorly have any high point as such, and the story starts to pick up only from the pre-interval sequence. The love story between Gautham and Regina pops up all of a sudden and going for a romantic number immediately, only makes one feel, is falling in love so easy?
The issue with Mr.Chandramouli is the plot, which isn’t as strong or as new as Thiru’s previous films. The comedy scenes do not work in most places and due to this, the first 60 minutes of the film falls flat, with no big takeaway. Comedian Sathish who had less screen space could have been utilized well. The important twist in the climax too doesn't excite much and it could probably come off as predictable to a section of the audience.
With quite a few interestingly woven emotional and action scenes, to an extent, the latter half of the movie makes up for the not-so-engaging first half. Thiru's writing garners attention in the portions involving Karthik and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. Their unexplained relationship is fresh, and it is left to the audience to assume. Had that freshness been there throughout, the film could have been a complete lively entertainer. The stunt team deserves a special mention for the innovative choreography of the fights. Thiru’s screenplay might impress the family audience as there are a few scenes catering to them.
Karthik's experience is definitely an asset for the film, and his energetic screen presence is entrancing. Gautham Karthik delivers a good performance, especially in the emotional and post-intermission sequences. Regina Cassandra fills the space of a commercial heroine and looks super hot in the much talked about Yedhedho Aanene song. An attempt to dub for herself for the first time is noteworthy. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's chilled out performance throws a good vibe to the audience, though she gets only limited screen time. Directors Mahendran and Ahathiyan do neat and important cameos.
Cinematographer Richard M Nathan's framing and usage of colour tones give the film a natural flavor. Sam CS' background score is effective in emotional and action sequences. Yedhedho Aanene and Rajadhi Raja looked good on screen along with the visuals.