For his maiden film, Rathna Kumar has gone with an ubiquitous route, taking up a romantic - comedy subject that deals with a local boy who falls in love with a girl belonging to a well-groomed family. Aside from love, Meyaadha Maan also deals with brother-sister bonding and friendship.
Meyaadha Maan is an extended version of Rathna Kumar’s short film ‘Madhu’, and Vaibhav has supported him immensely, to translate his vision onto the larger canvas by giving one of his best performances ever. Vaibhav owns the screen; the gamut of emotions - the pain, the happiness, the innocence, the lethargy- he traversed them all quite effortlessly.
There aren’t too many high points, but a sort of consistent natural humour keeps you hooked throughout the film. The first half was more fun whereas the latter part of the second half gets a little soggy. The pre-climax argument scene and the final song looked a little force-fitted. Such cliches could have been avoided, especially given a first half as refreshing as this.
Though the whole story talks about love, the reason behind the love track could have been justified a bit more strongly. More justification could have been given as to why the heroine falls in love with Vaibhav and changed her wedding plans.
Priya Bhavani Shankar, a known face on TV, makes her big-screen debut with this film. She looks fresh and glowing, and dishes out a neat performance, although her acting in a few emotional scenes could have been better.
Vivek Prasanna is no less than a hero in Meyaadha Maan. He plays Vaibhav’s friend, and his parallel love track is very effective on its own merits. Indhuja shines in the ‘Thangachi’ song and a couple of other scenes where she gets aggressive. Rathna Kumar deserves to be praised for extracting the best from his team.
The pre-interval block was very well shot. It was a long, 5-10 minute shot without a cut, and the emotions in that sequence looked natural and free-flowing. Dialogues worked very well. Being both fun and emotionally laden, it gave an immersive experience.
Meyadha Maan can rightly be termed as a musical - the songs just keep coming, and they are pretty much the soul of the film. Both Pradeep and Santhosh Narayanan have done full justice to the script. Vidhu Ayanna’s cinematography enhanced the overall movie-watching experience.
[Review based on a special preview show to the press members on October 17th. Catch the film in theatres, from the 18th of October]
Thangachi Song
Singer: Anthony Daasan
Lyrics: Vivek
Composer: Santhosh Narayanan
The Thangachi song which was released as the first single is an attractive folk number based on the Thangachi sentiment. The lyrics by Vivek are simple yet depth filled. With an attractive beat and tune, it is a good listen. Anthony Daasan delivers at his usual best. The percussion by ‘4 Idiots’ deserve a special mention and the entire song is very impressive.
Enna Naan Seiven
Singers: Pradeep Kumar, Kalyani Nair
Lyrics: Pradeep Kumar
Composer: Pradeep Kumar
A very uniquely composed and performed melody by Pradeep Kumar. The second single Enna Naan Seiven has also been sung by Pradeep Kumar. Guitars are used to perfection and are in sync with the tone of the number. A mild background additional score adds beauty to it and it seems to be an emotion-filled melody. Starting off as a light number moves on to stir the emotions as well.
Address Song - Adiye S.Madhu
Singer: Santhosh Narayanan
Lyrics: Rathna Kumar & Vivek
Composer: Santhosh Narayanan
Adiye S Madhu was marketed as the first ever address song. It is innovation at its peak. The song follows a very unusual pattern and is a letter addressing a girl. More of ranting by composer and singer Santhosh Narayanan. The lyrics are not very catchy but might become addictive after few listens for a few though it may not seem like an instant hit material. There is a decent use of percussions and bass with an overall nice rhythm. A very experimental number that could pick up among listeners.
Area Gaana - Enga Veetu Kuthuvilakkey
Singer:Ka Ka Bala
Lyrics: Rathna Kumar
Composer: Santhosh Narayanan
This pakka area gaana is called Enga Veetu Kuthuvilakkey seems to be the weakling in this album. Rendered by Ka Ka Bala, it is about the protagonist telling how he would have loved to be the heroine's accessories so he could stick with her. It is a proper 'North Madras Gaana' with an interesting rhythm to it. Santhosh Narayanan is known for specializing in this genre, yet the captivity of this song will vary between its audience.
Rathina Katti
Singer: Dhee
Lyrics: Vivek
Composer: Santhosh Narayanan
Rathina Katti is that trademark SaNa song, which is blended with Jazz music to get the hook going. We have always known that Santhosh is an expert in making the most of his string orchestra and he keeps proving it with the songs he makes. This song is no less. Another factor that Santhosh has mastered is precisely when to use his daughter Dhee's voice. He has had a reasonably successful combination with her in the past and yet again, the combination strikes gold. Dhee renders this song with ease and adds the necessary flavor to this track. A special shout out to Phil Hartl, the solo violinist and the concertmaster for this song, for lifting the quality of the track!
Megamo Aval
Singer: Pradeep Kumar, Ananthu
Lyrics: Vivek
Composer: Santhosh Narayanan
Rendered by Santhosh's best asset, Pradeep Kumar and accompanied by Ananthu's robust voice, this soothing love ballad from the hit combination is a sure-shot success. Again, Santhosh Narayanan aces the usage of the strings orchestra! Naveen's Bass guitar is clean, bright and is something to relish as it lifts the mood, perfectly complementing Pradeep's mellifluous voice. Vivek's lyrics bring a lovely connect and blends very well with the mood of the song.
Nee Mattum Podhum
Singer:Sid Sriram, Dharshana KT
Lyrics: Mirchi Vijay
Composer: Pradeep Kumar
Pradeep Kumar, in his debut film as a composer, shines as he brings in this fantastic Reggae track! Rhythm and Blues stirred along with Jazz accompanied by Sid Sriram and Darshana's brilliance-filled voices. Fascinating sounds have been used in this song along with the generic keyboards, drums and an active bass guitar. Sid Sriram seems to be the ideal voice for this enchanting song. This song is sure to catch a spot in your playlist!