Maamannan

The Movie starts on an engaging first half but falls fully flat in the second half. Honestly, the last half an hour of the movie was so slow and UNBEARABLE!

Performance: Fahadh Faasil was brilliant as always, he is a shapeshifter who aces literally every role he plays. He incredibly played the evil role he was offered. Vadivel was good too, the rest others were average.

Plot and screenplay: The start of the film was very engaging and the plot was being built up pretty well, especially the flashback part.

The director was able to hold the movie in place till the interval.

The second half was incredibly boring and unbearable, it was such a task to control my urge to take out my phone and scroll through Instagram! But I somehow managed to complete the movie with an utter nonsense 2nd half.

I regret not taking my phone out and spending my time watching a few reels. It did not feel that the same director had directed the 2nd half. I was so done after it.

Conclusion and Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐-6/10

I'm rating it a 6 only for its first half as it was a good watch with an engaging screenplay and the performance of FAFA and Vadivelu.

The second half was absolute garbage.

Maamannan is 2023 release Tamil movie with established actors, director and music composer.

The castings, music, storyline all very good. Watch the movie as it is without mixing it with political opinions. The way the animals portraying the social status also very apt. Some scenes are really mentally disturbing. It proves the director did his job competently. Each actors done their characters very well. Certain actors didn't have much screen presence nor dialogues but they contribute their part well even some solely with eye contact. As a whole, it's a very good movie from the whole team. Hope people enjoy the movie and understand the social message.

What worked for Pariyerum Perumaal & Karnan was it was more grounded in reality. It was relatable, I was able to sympathize with the director's view. It felt like some dialogues were intentionally planted for Udhayanidhi's gain. The film felt too dramatic & lost the touch of reality. Casting Fahadh only added more to it. He did deliver what he was paid for, but I just couldn't see him as his given role. At times, the pacing feels slightly uneven, with certain scenes dragging on longer than necessary. Also Keerthy suresh was not justified. Felt like she was there just for the sake of having a female lead.

Maamanan A review by Rajesh Puvvada

Mari Selvraj once again paints caste based strokes on a culturally stigmatic canvas!! After pariyerumal and Karnan, he used the same starting ritual, which is to have a hound killed or slaughtered!! This time it got a little predictable.

Casting Vadivelu as the protagonist in a realistic appearance gives great strength to this movie. After a long hiatus, we could witness a larger screen presence of this seasoned actor. I enjoyed every bit of his performance largely. The maturity in which he handles his character tells us how strongly he lived into it.

At the very beginning of the movie when the titles were coming up there was a huge applause when the name of Fahad Fazil came up. He definitely raised the bar of his own best performance. Every move if his was unique and natural.

I am not going to mention any one from the caste because their roles or performances were not pivotal or palpable.

Years of stigma around the lower and higher castes dominate our rich social fabric and that is well brought out in this movie. Honestly, the true value of this movie was delivered right at the time of intermission. What ever came out from Mark Selvraj after the interval had lesser value plot wise. The plot got diluted into a political portion that stinks. However the end state was very well handled. Many directors these days suffer to handle the crispness of a fine plot for a longer duration. Presenting something solid for a longer duration requires great degree of detail and an emotional grip. The way Mari Selavaraj held our emotions firm around Pariyerum Perumal and Karnan is felt well because he did not hold it well in this movie. Especially in the second half.

Red giant wanted a platform to put its political agenda forward and the second half was a gift to red giant by Mari Selvraj.

A R Rehamans score jelled well with the movie but I think, no tune or a BGM or a song is playing repeatedly in my head after watching the movie. Which means the musical manifest of this movie evaporated very quickly.

Given the movie did not employ any illogical parts this movie holds water on a thin paper cup. Without the protagonist and the antagonist performances the movie would have lost its worth.

I recommend a one time viewing with family. And, I am going with a 7.5/10. You can also wait for it to come on OTT.

This political drama has a gripping first half, where the director effectively conveys his pain through certain scenes. While some scenes successfully deliver the intended message, many others fall short. The movie is a mix of raw and commercial elements, which I found somewhat unsettling. It didn't evoke strong emotions in me, such as making me cry or burst into laughter, or fueling a sense of vengeance against the villain. It is common to compare older movies with current ones, and in the case of "Karnan," there were moments that evoked rage, especially the police station scene. However, in this movie, I felt a lack of connection. It was meant to be a potential cult classic, but with a few issues, it might lose its place in that esteemed position. It's not the worst movie, but it falls short of achieving cult classic status from my perspective as a movie viewer. The director had already set a high benchmark, which this movie failed to meet.

On the other hand, the movie has received numerous positive aspects, ranging from the performances of Vadivelu, Fafa, and Keerthi, who all deliver their career-best performances. The landscape shots are beautifully showcased, capturing scenic locations like Yercaud, hilltops, and night shots. The camera work is impressive, and as expected, the music by ARR (A. R. Rahman) demonstrates his exceptional quality. The layered editing is also a significant plus point. With a more gripping and grounded second half, this movie could have reached greater heights. The interval and climax sequences have their own peak moments, showcasing the director's bold attempt. It's a remarkable film to conclude Udhay's career.