The age old formula in Tamil cinema is given a new coat of paint with R.N.R Manohar’s Maasilamani. Don’t expect anything great, just sit back and watch the film as a mass masala entertainer meant strictly for a particular section of the audiences.The film is plain silly at the same time funny in parts. It’s etched from various earlier films, and at times it looks like a sequel to the lead pair’s earlier film Kathalil Vizhunthen . The opening Nakul introduction song itself look similar to the famous Nakku Mukka…, even in picturisation and sets.The wafer thin storyline is straightforward. Massi (Nakul) an orphan lives in a lower middle class colony, where everybody dotes on him. He is a mass hero who you see only in Tamil films- a popular guy in his colony who takes up local issues, fights for them, and has a heart of gold though those who don’t know him thinks he is a rowdy.Massi falls in love at first sight with Divya (Sunaina), a rich upper middle class girl who is a dance instructor. She thinks that Massi is a rowdy and a creep and will not fall for him under any circumstances. Urged by his friends (Santhanam & Srinath) Massi becomes Mani, the soft spoken sophisticated guy with the clean look. He wins over her large family (Delhi Ganesh and others), due to his smooth talking and winning ways.Though initially, Divya refuses to believe that he is Mani, a look alike of Massi the rowdy, soon he has her eating out of his hands. Enter Bhoopathy, the local corrupt Sub Inspector, with an eye on Divya and a determination to prove that Mani is none other than Massi, the rowdy. All this leads to a twist in the tale climax.The film has all mass elements like larger than life hero, his introductory song, duets in foreign locations, sentiments, comedy and a predictable action scene inside a go-down. The comedy track of MS Bhaskar and Karunas where they pay tribute to all larger than life Tamil superstars and mass films is hilarious. D.Imman, after a long time has come out with some peppy music with Dora, Dora… being the pick of the lot.Nakul is a fine dancer but has a long way to go to become a mass hero, while Sunaina proves she has it in her to make it big with a performance where grace and maturity are the keywords. On the downside, the film moves at a leisurely pace in the first half devoted mostly to songs and comedy tracks. The second half the film slowly picks up speed as the story unfolds leading to a thrilling climax.
‘Kadhalil Vizhundhen’ perhaps could’ve been commercially successful with the wild marketing of Sun Pictures. But to be incisive, this endeavor with ‘Maasilamani’ is quite commendable from the point-view of ‘B’ and ‘C’ centres. Director Manohar who strikes with his debut directorial after penning dialogues for various Tamil films has proved himself to be brilliant on penning smart-moved plots. Although, few amongst them in screenplay are illustrating to be absurd, they’re diminished with the good packaging.After a long time, we tend to hear whistles of cheering from audiences for the fast beat songs. Applause to Imman indeed!The film’s script is so simple. Born and brought up across the lanes of Rani Anna Nagar slum, Maasilamani is an aggressive youngster who strikes violently when unjust troubles his colony members. He falls in love with Divya (Sunaina) hailing from a rich background and well-pampered by her family members. Eventually, rest of the film is about the girl mistaking the boy to be a ruffian and later how this lad wins over her heart with smart moves forms crux of the story.The screenplay is so interesting especially in the latter part once Pawan, the police officer is introduced. The protagonist’s smart moves are so decorously planted by Manohar, especially the climax portions with lots of fun and equivalently emotions. However, the filmmaker could’ve avoided the lengthy-dragging dialogues and got it trimmed in climax as audiences are quite perplexed what she wants to convey.Although, there are certain loopholes in the racy-screenplay, it isn’t much blatant to your cognizance if you’ve merely planned to sit back and relax. The film has much funny movements that are quite enjoyable. MS Bhaskar enacting the role of various actors from Rajnikanth till ‘Ghajini’ Surya is hilarious. Santhanam-Srinath combo works the best alike in ‘Santhosh Subramaniam’. Nakul has improved a lot from his previous film and behaves much matured. Sunaina looks so contrastive from her debut flick as she has lots of rooms for performance, uttering dialogues and glamorous quotients.Musical score by Imman embellishes the film with good songs. ‘Odi Odi’ is a peppy fast beat number that wins the applause from audiences. Thiru’s cinematography is okay and he could’ve avoided certain shakes on his camera.On the whole, ‘Maasilamani’ is a film you can watch once if you’re not so concerned about logics.
Looks like there is no respite from the dry spell cast by the lack of new releases at the box office. And lesser said the better about the ones released. SUN Pictures’ Masilamani gives you an instant hangover of having watched too many movies over a very short period of time. The script feels like a medley-mash of movies released over the past decade. And it wouldn’t be possible for us name each of them since the list runs to pages.Masi (Nakul) is college student, who is also a social activist. For example, if there is a block in his street’s open water drain he would run up to the MLA’s house and wreak havoc. And if there is an eve-teasing incident on the buses that run in his area, he would bash the miscreants to armor the innocent girls. Sunaina, however, mistakes his so-called social activism to anti-socialism. On the other hand, Nakul has fallen for her hook, line and sinker and realizes that she’s his ideal girl. So to win her heart, he wins her family’s first. Under the disguise of Mani, who is Mr. Deeds. The whole world and her family, of course, know Mani except Sunaina. And when she finds out that both Masi and Mani are the same, she has to decide whom she has fallen for. MasilamaniWith a brittle story like that, director Manohar treads the script with aides in the name of comedy, only to abruptly leave it after a certain point of time. The comedy track, handled by MS Baskar, although inadequately written, provides comic relief. Baskar’s different getups from famous movies including Sivaji, Alavandhan and Ghajini manage to bring smiles, if not a hearty laughter. And Baskar has Karunas to company.Nakul – Sunaina looks an item. Everything from their chemistry and acting has considerably improved ever since their first time together. We only wished the movie had little more substance to sustain people’s interest. Imman’s score is largely passé except for the Dora Dora song, penned by Pa. Vijay. The Kavidai Gundar song Odi Vilayadu fails to recreate their usual magic.While the movie starts off promisingly, 20 minutes later, we find ourselves shifting in our seats counting the seconds and scratching the seats for the interval to come up. The second half gathers momentum, but only to culminate into a banal climax.Thus, Masilamani is necessarily targeted for the B and C centers, for people who have long forgotten the Tullada Manamum Tullum days.
Like a well-oiled machine, Sun Pictures has been ramming movie after movie down the throat of the Tamil film-going public in a relentless fashion. While some fall flat, one or two have turned hits and others fall into the "not bad" territory: They've all got the requisite hero-flexing muscle, pretty heroine and enough comic elements to keep the aisles happy. AGS Entertainment's Maasilamani, directed by R M R Manohar falls in the third category, especially as it repeats the hit-pairing from Kadhalil Vizhunthen.It doesn't raise any such hopes within you in the beginning, though. When Maasi aka Maasilamani (Nakulan) is introduced as the chocolate-boy who works unceasingly for the benefit of Rani Anna Nagar, Chennai, you try in vain to suppress a yawn. He dutifully salutes the camera (and his audience), bashes up goons, helps old people buy land, clears up sewers and challenges MLAs -- and also falls in love at first sight with pretty Divya (Sunaina), who takes classical dance classes like a dutiful heroine, at Nadanalaya. Adding a bit of desultory spice to the proceedings are Pazhani (Santhanam) and Kathir (Srinath) -- but in reality, it's Coma Ramaswamy (M S Bhaskar, his cinematic aspirations and Karunas antics that bring in more laughter.As expected in any done-to-death love story, Divya catches Maasi in all sorts of bad situations -- when he's actually doing it for a good cause. He pursues her relentlessly, she refuses him, convinced he's a thug, until Maasi and his friends hatch a plan to ingratiate themselves into Divya's good books, with his alter ego -- Mani.From hereon, the story actually does perk up a bit as all sorts of catchy situations occur and Maasi extricates himself from each one of them. Most are tried and tested, with stock dialogues and punches -- but whether it's Nakul's boyish personality or Sunaina's fresh charm, work it does, sometimes.Unlike Kadhalil Vizhunthen, D Imman's music does nothing to make you sit up, while Vetri's camera does its best with the simple storyline.It might be run-of-the-mill, but Maasilamani does have its enjoyable moments. If you want to kill a couple of hours, here's the flick for you.
Verdict: Mass Masala
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