Manithan – A Job Well Done

Bharath Vijayakumar

Udhayanidhi’s intent to prove his mettle as an actor is quite obvious based on his recent choice of movies. Despite mixed response Gethu did deviate a great deal from Udhayanidhi’s first few films. Now with Manithan he tries to put a firm foot into serious cinema as well.

Plot:

A low key lawyer with an almost nil success percentage takes on the master of the trade. While the hero starts this battle for personal gains he goes through a personality transformation as the case proceeds.

Cast:

Udhayanidhi makes more than an impression. Though not a very evident transformation on screen this is a definite departure with a conscious effort to stay understated. While he is not very expressive he does make amends with his choice of characters. Prakash Raj rocks it in Manithan. It is good that we do not really see him often in Tamil cinema as we earlier used to. It has been sometime since he appeared in a full length role and this absence makes this performance all the more enjoyable. Radha Ravi is at his satirical best. Bomman Irani and Saurabh Shukla were brilliant in the original. Comparisons aside the two southern veterans have done justice to their roles. Vivek is in his elements. He seems to have turned a new leaf with his subtleness in his new innings.

Music:

Santosh Narayanan continues his fine form and it augurs well that he is now composing for a wide variety of films.

Direction:

This is Ahmed’s third film in seven years. While Vaamanan had its share of positives he made a mark with Endrendrum Punnagai. While opting for a remake might have been a contentious decision he has pulled it off quite well. With Hansika on board, there was some apprehension about commercial compulsions being thrust in. Thankfully Ahmed has not bowed into such thoughts. The emotion in the film works really well. The dialogues and Santosh’s score too deserve praise for this. The transition of the protagonist’s character is not so very convincing. But this was the case in Jolly LLB as well. This not being a major hindrance is a proof that the film has you engaged nicely.

Bottomline:

A neat remake of an engaging court drama, Manithan is a job well done from its makers.

Rating: