Madhil Mel Poonai – Gore and Bore

by Bharath Vijayakumar

Director Barani Jayapal's Madhil mel Poonai (MPM) is a violent saga of revenge with certain scenes that could make some people squirm in their seats. Violence and gore is not everyone’s cup of tea. But even for those who can stomach brutality on screen MPM would look farfetched as it fails to justify most of the violence.  

Plot

The first half follows two parallel storylines. One is about a group of schoolboys. They get easily provoked at the slightest of insults and cause irreversible damage to others and themselves. The other track follows the romance between Vasanth Vijay and Vibha Natarajan ( earlier seen in supporting roles in Leelai and Naan). They converge at the intermission point. The second half turns into a blood-filled vendetta saga where Vasanth and Vibha are on the run for their lives.

Cast

This is probably Vasanth Vijay’s first release as a solo hero. He just manages to pass muster but needs to hone up his acting skills at the earliest. He looked far more at home in movies such as Chennai 28 and Nadodigal. Vibha Natarajan looks good and also seems to emote well with her expressive eyes. The support cast is not up to the mark and this could possibly be another reason for our disinterest in the proceedings. Thambi Ramiah fails to evoke laughter with his antics as the middle aged teacher trying to woo a much younger girl. Out of the six kids in the first half three (the boys playing Johny,Sriram and the girl playing Divya) are convincing. The same cannot be said about the other three.

Crew

The ‘Vanthaara vaazhavaikkum Chennai’ number (sung by STR) that has been reasonably well promoted is hummable. The other songs by Ganesh Raghavendra’s  are just about alright. The stunt sequence involving an Aghori and a small girl has been captured well. The movie seems long drawn out. A crisper version might have helped. But even that cannot save the day if the happenings on screen do not keep you glued to your seats.

Bottom-line

To MDP’s credit, the storyline and treatment are not run of the mill. But it lacks finesse in execution. Looks like the director wanted to shock us with brutal scenes one after the other. He could have toned down on the gore part and make it more engaging. Interesting one-liner lost in execution and gore.

Rating :