Manithan - Movie Review

I had kind of formed a perception about Udhayanidhi's movies and I formed it after watching a couple of his earlier stints and felt that he is not going to do a different role (or) to say the least - not even try. But what made me watch this movie was its trailer. I know that movie trailers tend to mislead the audience, but there was something in this one, that made me decide - why not give a shot and I am happy that I made the right choice.

The movie is said to be an adaptation of JOLLY LLB movie, which was done by Arshad Warsi. I haven’t watched it and so, thankfully, didn’t fall into the zone of comparing Arshad's performance with Udhayanidhi's. It’s a sincere attempt from Udhayanidhi - no doubt. It shows on screen. Especially, the climax portion - he deserves applause. I really wish to see him do roles like these. Having said that, there are still areas for improvement - but I think, this movie is a good start.

The biggest asset of the movie is its character artistes - done superbly by Prakash Raj & Radha Ravi. And it’s not just the seniors. There is this role done by a person towards the end of the movie by the character name KAMALAKANNAN. I don’t know what his original name is, but his acting was spot on. The way he delivered his dialogs was simply superb. We are used to seeing people going to the melodrama zone to earn sympathy from the audience, but this person still earns it without being melodramatic. And next in line is Santhosh Narayanan's music - especially the BGM. It just lifts the movie to the next level.

The story too, deserves mention. It’s not like a hero taking on a villain or something. It’s just the behavior of humans and how people react according to situations. No wonder, they titled it aptly as MANITHAN. Suits the movie well. The initial portions seem to be the regular affair we often see in TAMIL movies, but as it progresses, it creates an interest level within us and that’s the biggest success. Now, there are areas which could have been worked upon in a better way, but when you look at the overall product, you will feel satisfied.

Good job by the whole team. A genuine attempt from Udhayanidhi in all the sense and it deserves to be appreciated.