MISFIRED ARROW? PERHAPS

Manmadhan Ambu

Dir:KS Ravikumar

Manmadhan Ambu means Cupid’s arrow in vernacular. (and how so intelligently the writer has incorporated the short names of the lead characters in the title)

R. Madhavan plays Madanagopal (MMKR reference? As is the title) an industrialist who falls in love with arty Tamil literary lass posing as an anglo-tamil regular ‘heroine’ Ambu, known to the world as Nisha (yes played by Trisha, I think the name connects end there)

Due to the suspecting nature of the rich boy and his scheming mother (Usha Uthup), the couple separate intermittently only to send an army major (Kamal as Major Mannar) on the heels of the actress all over Europe.

There has been a lot of expectation for this particular film largely due to the fact that it involves director Ravikumar and Kamal Hassan, the previous ones being laugh out loud comedy capers except of course Dasavatharam, now that I brought Dasavatharam up I would like to continue in that direction.

Their previous encounter involved Kamal donning ten roles, no meager task by estimation and had a taut and connecting screenplay, but then that too seemed as an excuse for Kamal to showcase his knowledge of cinema and his adeptness in make-up, in the film he also wrote the dialogue and the screenplay. Nothing wrong in being involved in every department and I think Kamal himself would beaware that the world realizes his talent and there is no particular need for him to do everything like a new-comer to please the audience.

Fine, I know nothing about lyrics; my knowledge of Tamil is also very (I stress again) very limited, so I will refrain from talking about them; but I know what a funny movie is, at least I also contribute by laughing which completes the effort in making humor (after all if there is no one to laugh, what point is there in being funny)

Ok, now that we have been forewarned by the crew and by early birds that it is not a comedy film, then why bring in a contrived confusion thinking it would be funny? I simply couldn’t agree one bit with the ending and a good part of the second half and it’s not about logic, I don’t search for logic in cinema, it simply wasn’t funny.

Madhavan steals the film in almost all the scenes he appears (never mind the ending) and there is not much for Kamal as an actor to do as I believe he was entrusted with other responsibilities.

I have been a Kamal fan ever since I have started watching films and I have always argued on his part whenever called for, his strive to show something new to the audience has appaled fans and alike and in this movie is the song ‘Neelavaanam’ and Urvasi , Ramesh Arvind are brilliant in their small roles, Sangeetha going overboard after a point of time

What irritated me most was that probably was that the makers themselves couldn’t make up their mind whether this is a serious film or a comedy, but it is a different film falling somewhere in between failing to find a category, it will be a disappointment for all those expecting a Panchatanthiram  but what sort of a fool goes to a picture expecting a previously released film?