A Boring Evening - Maalai Pozhuthin Mayakathiley(MPM)

Bharath Vijayakumar

A gentle spark can trigger fire but spark alone doesn’t make fire. The basic premise of MPM may sound novel and interesting. But what translates on screen is a tiresome exercise. What could have worked well as a short film turns into a boring mainstream cinema. MPM is like a tame test match played on a flat pitch. You know the result on day one. But you go through the motions through the five days.

Plot

MPM is supposedly about the happenings (actually nothing much happens!!!) in a coffee shop for about two hours on a beautiful, rainy evening. There is this aspiring young filmmaker, a young girl, a couple whose marriage has hit rock bottom, their son, a novelist, the coffee shop owner and his supposedly funny workers. The movie moves at snail's pace with these mentioned characters interacting among themselves.

Cast and Crew

Hero Aree seems to have the looks and attitude needed for the big stage and given the right platform can make a successful hero. Heroine Subha puts in a decent performance but her Tamil accent and pronunciation (has she dubbed for herself?) irritates you. The stout kid makes an impression despite having almost no dialogues. All the actors seem adequate but somehow everything looks staged. Music director Achu and DOP Gopi Amarnath make a mark with their work. The opening song with its musical album type of visuals is catchy. The dialogues are preachy and monotonous.

Debutant director Narayanan Nagendra Rao’s intention to deviate completely from the beaten path is laudable but what was the need to have some of the frames move so slowly. It just does not work in this age of mad rush. The director in one of his interviews said that the film is more like a movie version of a stage play. But changing the settings alone is not sufficient. The final product looks like a test match played in coloured clothing.

Bottomline

MPM is definitely different. But that alone is not enough. It neither engages nor entertains you.