Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA Review

by Raven

‘Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA’, the attempted sequel of one of the best political satire films ‘Amaithi Padai’, has hit the screens today. The movie cannot be logically termed as a sequel as the storyline does not take off from the previous film in the series. The movie is Manivannan’s 50^th film as director and Sathyaraj has essayed his most famous role of Nagaraja Cholan.

The Plot

Nagaraja Cholan (Sathyaraj) emerges as the deputy Chief Minister through his cunning and crooked ways. Mani (Manivannan) plays the second fiddle to him and Gangai Kondan (Raghu Manivannan) is Nagaraja Cholan’s son. Nagaraja Cholan becomes the CM and wants to clear the forests for monetary benefits. But, tribal people are against it and they are supported by a righteous person, played by Seeman. Also, Rajagopal (again played by Sathyaraj) wants to put Nagaraja Cholan behind the bars. Will he succeed?

Performances

Sathyaraj’s performance is the stand out factor in the film. His uncanny knack of delivering one-liners mocking famous personalities continues in this film as well. Manivannan has done a fair job, but the vigor he had couple of decades ago seems to be missing. Seeman fits into his role aptly, but his dialogues go over-dramatic towards the end. Raghu Manivannan has miles to go in the acting department. The three heroines do not have much scope in the film.

Technicalities

Technically, the movie could have been way better. Under James Vasanth’s music, songs do not make any impact and they definitely hamper the movie's flow. Cinematography isn’t great too as the shots in the forest look amateurish. Editing during the second half could have been more slick.

Script and Direction – Manivannan

Those who have watched Amaidhi Padai would know that the movie did not have a path breaking storyline but what elevated it to the cult status is the brilliant execution, bordering along the then current political climate. Sadly, that is totally missing in Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA. The movie lacks a watertight screenplay and it diversifies into too many uninteresting sub-plots.

One cannot understand why the CBI officer vanishes from the scene when people are being killed and appears just before the climax. Few dialogue sessions that mock current politicians between Sathyaraj and Manivannan are engaging, but after a while, they get repetitive. And, often showcasing women in bad light is objectionable.

Bottomline

'Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA’ tries to become an ‘Amaidhi Padai’ but gets nowhere near it. 

Rating - 1.5 / 5