MANKATHA MOVIE REVIEW

Starring : Ajith, Arjun, Trisha, Premji Amaren, Vaibhav, Mahat Raghavendra, Ashwin Kakumanu, Andrea Jeremiah, Anjali, Lakshmi Rai
Direction : Venkat Prabhu
Music : Yuvan Shankar Raja
Production : Cloud Nine Movies, Sun Pictures

If you thought that playing a close game of rummy was exciting, then think again, because Mankatha is even more so. It has all the octane and excitement of a T20 cricket match neatly packaged for your viewing pleasure. The story in a nutshell is as follows; a plot is hatched by a group of young men to lay their hands on a sum of Rs. 500 crores that is being taken for wagering on an international cricket match. However serious the plot, Venkat Prabhu has a knack of infusing comedy into it, without taking away from the significance of the central storyline; he has done it almost to perfection this time too. Are you wondering that we have told the entire story here? Well, you will realize that there are a lot of twists and turns in the film and this one-line story is nothing compared to it.

What’s new in Mankatha?

The film comes with a tagline; ‘Strictly no rules’. Yes, Mankatha breaks many rules of Tamil cinema. Even though it is a multistarrer, there is never a moment where you feel that one character or other has been forced into the script.

What change will Mankatha bring?

It is going to change the way in which heroes are perceived in Tamil cinema. In fact, this film could pave the way for a more Hollywood style of framing a hero’s character. And, Venkat Prabhu who was till now considered as a director who could handle the relatively small names in a big way will in future be celebrated as a director who can handle even the biggest of stars with consummate ease.

The punchline:

Well, there are quite a few. But, the one that comes to mind first is the one that has already made waves through the trailers. It is when Ajith says in a very casual manner, ‘evvalo naal dhan naan nallavanaave nadikkirathu’; the entire theatre is in raptures.

Ajith’s bike riding scene was the highlight of this film as none of his fans were on their seats. Almost the entire audiences in the theatre was on their feet clapping and whistling.

Premji Amaren imitating Chitty Robot’s “mae” had the audiences in splits of laughter. Premji has done excellent job in the past, but in Mankatha he is one step ahead of the GAME!

Ajith’s scene where he plans his executions with the chessboard is a Venkat Pirubu Punch! Brilliant concept!

We won’t tell you about the other punch lines; you can enjoy them for yourself.

What you expected and what you get!

There are films that you go in and watch without any information or expectations, and come out having liked it. Then there are films where you know the one line story and have a set of expectations and watch eagerly as each one of them is fulfilled. Mankatha is not the second kind either! You go with a lot of expectations and come out completely satisfied and excited. But, Mankatha delivers more than what it promises. It almost overwhelms the viewer with what it has to offer. It is almost a celebration, like Pongal or Diwali.

Performances:

You get to see a totally new Ajith; he is absolutely magnificent, no need to say more. Arjun walks through his cop character (!?) with ease, he has done so many of them before, he is as convincing as ever. Trisha manages to grab attention and stays in your minds even though her role is pretty much small. Anjali and Lakshmi Rai also have very miniscule roles but have managed to grab the audiences’ attention. Premgi too deserves special mention. Anjali, Vaibhav, Aswin and just about everyone in the cast have done full justice to their roles.

Technical

Yuvan and Venkat Prabhu have combined for the fourth time in a row and this seems to be a formidable alliance; they have won the mandate yet again. Yuvan has composed a theme music that will go well with the audiences. The re-recording is extremely good too.

In the fire accident scene, in which Ajith jumps down, Yuvan has used violins. The usage of violins is highly brilliant here.

Camera by Sakthi Saravanan adopts a tone that is just right for the film. Editing is one of the major strengths of the movie and Praveen and Srikanth have combined to do an excellent job. And, the portions shot around Dharavi leave you wondering whether the locations were real or sets.

You really have to search for negatives in this movie. Planning stages in the first half of the movie was bit slow.The only other one perhaps is the graphics work in the ‘Bin lade’ song. Even though it is good work, it looks a bit heavy for the song. All the melody songs have gelled with the film. In fact the fast pace of the movie was never hindered by the songs. ‘Ambani Parambarai’ song is worth a mention here because fans were seen having a gala time dancing to its tunes. But, otherwise, Mankatha is a riveting game.

Verdict: A match that will send your pulse racing! Mankathada

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