Maamannan review: Vadivelu, Udhayanidhi Stalin make political thriller work despite flaws

Mari Selvaraj has carved a niche for himself in Tamil film industry with his realistic and hard-hitting brand of storytelling. director, who me his debut with Pariyerum Perumal (2018) and n collaborated with Dhanush for Karnan (2021), is back with his latest film Maamannan. movie piqued curiosity of fans as it features a stellar cast helined by Vivelu, Udhayanidhi Stalin and Malayalam star Fahh Faasil. So, did film manage to live up to expectations?

3 things you need to know

• Maamannan has socio-political undertones.
• second half is not as good as expected.
• Vivelu is a treat to watch in film.

Hot Take 

Maamannan is essentially an underdog saga that highlights need to fight against oppression and strive for equality. Such films need strong screenplay and well-fleshed-out characters in order to make an impact. This is exactly where Maamannan hits right notes. Mari Selvaraj takes his time to build film’s world, which makes it easier for audience to relate to characters and ir aspirations. This helps Maamannan sail despite issues in second half.

Does Maamannan live upto hype?

film revolves around Maamannan (Vivelu), a seasoned MLA who is respected by his people. His son Athiveeran (Udhayanidhi) rears pigs much to dismay of many acquaintances. It is soon revealed that veteran politician has not spoken to his son in years because of an incident from past. rest of narrative explores ir chequered relationship and ir fight against a common rival Rathnavelu (Fahh). 

(Maamannan movie poster features Vivelu and Udhayanidhi. film is touted as an A R Rahman musical | Image: IMDB)

Film has a hard-hitting screenplay

Maamannan feels quite slow in initial portions but picks up during hard-hitting and emotional flashback scenes. film maintains this momentum even when action returns to present. A key confrontation scene featuring  Vivelu, Udhayanidhi and Fahh leaves audience shocked with its natural and organic intensity. It does a good job of building an aura around Athiveeran without being over top, something that can’t be said about action scenes seen in most commercial films. 

(Vivelu and Udhayanidhi Stalin play far and son duo in film. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Second half could have been better

Maamannan, however, loses its way a bit and drags at certain points in second half. This can be attributed to fact that some of mini-twists are rushed and feel forced.  dynamics between three main characters, however, still manages to keep interest in film alive. That said, climax could have been better. vote-counting sequences should have been thrilling but that doesn’t happen. emotions too feel forced at certain points.

(Keerthy Suresh is female le in film. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Vivelu at his best

Vivelu carries off a layered character with effortless ease. He is top-notch in a touching scene where he highlights cruel treatment meted out to some innocent children. Vivelu also captures character’s vulnerable side in his scenes with Udhayanidhi. His dialogues too are quite good, especially in a scene where he gives it back to Fahh. Udhayanidhi conveys a lot through his silences and surprises with his intensity in action scenes.

(Vivelu helines Maamannan with effortless ease. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Not Fahh’s best performance

Fahh, generally speaking, is a fine actor. He, however, could have me a stronger impact in Maamannan. While he impresses in a couple of scenes, film doesn’t quite give him opportunity to use his eyes to convey character’s rage. Keerthy Suresh too deserved a better role as her character doesn’t get enough scope in grand scheme of things. AR Rahman’s background ds a new layer to reel action. 

(Fah Faasil is main antagonist in drama film Maamannan. | Image: Youtube Screengrab)

Watch it or skip it?

Maamannan merits a watch simply for dealing with rarely-discussed issue of oppression. powerful performances and gripping dialogues furr d to its recall value. 

Bottomline

Maamannan does not reach standards set by Vetrimaaran’s Asuran (2019) mainly because of its imperfect second half. Mari Selvaraj’s film, however, is a fine example of content-driven cinema in its own right. 

(Rating: 3/5)