Madharaasi, produced by Sri Lakshmi Movies, is currently showing in cinemas. In this section, we review the latest box office release.
Plot:
The story is set in today's Tamil Nadu, whose social life is sought to be disturbed by an assorted set of evil players. Virat (Vidyut Jammwal) and his ally Chirag (Shabeer Kallarakkal) collaborate with a powerful syndicate to introduce rampant gun culture in the State.
The NIA, led by Prem Nath (Biju Menon), attempts to thwart their plans but fails. Amidst this struggle, Prem Nath crosses paths with Raghu Ram (Sivakarthikeyan), a man on the brink of suicide, and draws him into the mission. Since Raghu Ram is going through a heartbreak after Malathy (Rukmini Vasanth) ditched him, he is ready to go to any lengths for the mission.
Performances:
Sivakarthikeyan's filmography has been diverse. If he was earnest and serious in Amaran, he participated in the silly comedy of Prince. Varun Doctor and College Don were as different as they could be. Mahaveerudu had him in a layered part. Madharaasi draws from the highs of his best performances so far; all the same, the director lets him be his kind of specific hero. That said, he looks too light in some heavy-duty moments, especially if you consider his mental disorder.
Rukmini Vasanth is offered a role that helps her evolve. She is no pushover in this romantic action thriller. Vidyut Jammwal has always been known for raw physicality, agility, and athleticism. The opening action sequence is the only stretch that makes use of his calibre. Biju Menon is average.
Technical aspects:
Cinematographer Sudeep Elamon of Ayyappanum Koshiyum fame takes us into a world inhabited by a black-market weapons network, fighters, victims, villains, et al. Anirudh, in his career spanning nearly 15 years, has tried EDM, trap, hip-hop, and rock. For Madharaasi, he barely shows inventiveness. After listening to his BGM back to back this year (read Kingdom, Coolie), the novelty is gone.
Editor Sreekar Prasad lets the action breathe. Kevin Kumar's action choreography does full justice to the scale and the genre (psychological action). Arun Venjaramoodu's production design is above average by today's standards, and very good by Murugadoss' standards.
Post-Mortem:
AR Murugadoss' heroes have a strange obsession with taking on the evil without the system's backing. In Madharaasi, the male lead is thrust into the fight by someone from the system itself. Yet, the film throws all logic to the winds!
Some day, this reviewer might understand the thought process that goes into introducing an unconventional hero with a run-of-the-mill heartbreak song after the opening sequence introduced us to a once-in-a-generation crisis facing the motherland. Only Tamil films are capable of this variety of nonsense. Films made by others are silly, too. But only Kollywood can conceive this kind of outlandish balderdash.
That AR Murugadoss' big brain can conceive bizarre plots is a known fact of life. Mahesh Babu's SPYder and Salman Khan's Sikandar have proved it. What is less appreciated is its uncanny ability to invent the stupidest justifications for the hero's existence. There are five trucks of arms in Madharaasi. The NIA knows their precise location. Yet, India's biggest counter-terrorism law enforcement agency won't deploy a team to reach the place and seize them. Reason? They don't want a single NIA personnel to die in the operation. Read that again! The government is ready to risk the inundation of an entire state by arms, but doesn't want to lose a single cop. Arguments of this kind are made only by Murugadoss' characters. They don't inhabit a sane world.
In one instance, the hero saves/helps sixty individuals. Sixty. Accidents and tragedies and crimes happen in his presence either periodically or otherwise. He has only one dear one in his life, and, inevitably, she too had relatives who faced untimely, unnatural deaths. It's very probable that he was witness to some of the world's biggest terrorist attacks. In a dystopian fantasy version of Madharaasi, he would be the male version of Chandra from Kotha Lokah, witnessing catastrophes since the beginning of time. Murugadoss would jump at this idea and make the dumbest sci-fi film of all time.
On the upside, Sivakarthikeyan’s Raghu Ram evokes both sympathy and warmth. In the scene where he recounts a shooting incident to Malathy, the character evokes pity. However, the characterization is at odds with the do-or-die thriller nature of the movie. Since the NIA is reduced to a clownish front, nothing about any character or plot point actually sticks.
Closing Remarks:
Madharaasi aims for a gripping psychological action thriller but collapses under its own illogical writing and contrived justifications. A far-fetched plot, and a cartoonish NIA turn the film into an underwhelming watch.
