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Join UsStar Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Fahadh Faasil, Vadivelu, Keerthy Suresh, Lal, and ensemble.
Director: Mari Selvaraj.
What’s Good: The responsible political voices that talk of the evil with a very balanced and perfect gaze. An actor who himself is a politician taking down the same system that he represents to re-establish it is the most meta thing one can see right now.
What’s Bad: The screenplay loses the grip more than once, and in the attempt to grow the canvas horizontally, it ends up diluting the efforts.
Loo Break: it’s available on digital now. Use that pause button because nothing is so questionable that you miss it.
Watch or Not?: With its flaws, Maamannan is an important film. As we consume so much propaganda, this movie has none to serve but only talk of equality and equal grounds.
Language: Tamil (with subtitles).
Available On: Netflix.
Runtime: 157 Minutes.
User Rating:
Maamannan (Vadivelu), a man born to a marginalised community, is the MLA representing the Kashipuram constituency and backs a party that talks about social justice and equality. His son Adiveeran, an Adimurai teacher, also runs a pig farm as hobby. The opposition, Rathnavel (Fahadh), a man from the upper caster, doesn’t want any ‘low born’ to have a seat of power. What happens when Adiveeran forces his father break the conditioning and oppression by making him sit in front of Rathnavel is the film?
Maamannan Movie Review: Script Analysis
Mari Selvaraj (with who lot of bad press attached to him ) is a filmmaker who has been a distinct voice in the Indian cinema. His idea of telling stories about the inequalities in India has always been about showing the now world compared to a mythological tale or the past era. The attempt of showing that not much has changed even now in the places where internet is still an alien concept, and the world has moved ahead leaving them behind, is commendable. Karnan, a movie that shook us all to our cores, was one such film that spoke about a man going rogue by taking things in his hand and demanding the rights he was never cordially given.
Walking on a similar trajectory Gulzar Sahab did as a writer (Hu Tu Tu, Machhis), Mari writes his movie with young protagonists trying to bring the change rebelliously. In Maamannan though, he tries to bring the more practical turn to his main man. Yes, he fights and can take down and entire group of men who insult his father for just being born, but he is also mindful that a man-to-man fight will only solve the issue between two people, and the battle he is fighting is that of an entire community. Filmmakers evolving through their material is the most fulfilling thing to watch, and Selvaraj, after giving some of the most nuanced and thoughtful films, makes it clear that even his stories have scope for a new dawn and ideas.
Maamannan is a very thought about film. It is not busy forcing you believe in its conversation but wants to invite you on the journey to give a few people their rights. The balance is so good that it never feels biased. It is unsettling, and let’s be very clear, stories of inequality and the privilege pushing the have-nots under the bus are never easy to sit through. Because they make you look at your privileges as a person. Maamannan makes sure you feel those when 4 men stone and kill 3 young boys because they are low borns and they decided to take a dip in the temple pond. For them, these kids are a ‘danger’. Metaphors run deep, and Mari lets you absorb them. One that pitches pigs against groomed dogs is the best and becomes a recurring motif that defines the movie.
Amid all that substantial story, what Maamannan lacks is a screenplay that does justice to the base material. The first half is invested in just setting up the big fight, and it is interesting how that fight is fought through an election. But the second half becomes a dragged race that keeps on playing in loop with a repetitive structure. The script also ends up underusing Keerthy Suresh’s character and the setup around her. The kids from her coaching act as padding in scenes and not concrete plot devices.
Maamannan Movie Review: Star Performance
This is Udhayanidhi Stalin’s last film before he took a break from acting to focus on his political commitment, and he chose an apt character. A young man with rage fighting a battle through elections and weapons is exactly what a politician should be representing, and even if this is PR or a marketing strategy on his personal end, it is one of the best ideas. He gives Adiveeran his all because you can see him feeling a lot for the character and his silent journey. The actor becomes one with the part and leaves no room for complaint.
Fahadh Faasil as the egoistic upper-caste man who thinks rest everyone was born to serve him, is brilliant. How can he make us love him in one movie and hate in the next? The actor is precious and should be treasurer at all cost.
Vadivelu, who plays the titular part, still has the fire in him left that thinks of surprising his fans. For an actor who is mostly associated to comedy dramas, he plays a serious part that has no room for light and even a smile. He excels and doesn’t even once let you think of the times he made you laugh.
Keerthy Suresh does what she is expected too, but is mostly serving Adiveeran. I hope she had redemption of her own after she helped Adiveeran find his. Her storyline feels incomplete and left unattended.
Maamannan Movie Review: Direction, Music
Mari Selvaraj’s direction is both interesting and also stretched. While the way he places scenes and makes you decode their relevance and accuracy of them is a sign of a confident filmmaker. He chooses to open it with Adiveeran explaining two boys to fight for themselves and not really be a punching bag. There is so much to absorb as a person in the stories he tells. The second half is where the dragging begins and never ends until the end.
DOP Theni Eswar creates some very interesting visuals. Especially when he shifts the tone to monochrome, he makes some of the most haunting visuals, and the storyline supports. AR Rahman ensures he only elevates this movie to the best of his capabilities by not following a stereotypical route. He chooses to use fresh modern music in Maamannan. It works so well and indicates that this isn’t a story from the past, but exists in the present, where you talk about progress and equal opportunities on world stages.
Maamannan Movie Review: The Last Word
This could be the most average flick from Mari Selvaraj’s mill, but it is still a potent film that needs to be consumed for what it represents. It’s a fresh take with a weak screenplay, and you can watch it even with the flaws.
Maamannan Trailer
Maamannan releases on 29th June, 2023.
Share with us your experience of watching Maamannan.
For more recommendations, read our Ponniyin Selvan 2 Movie Review here.
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