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| No beating around the bush. Mappillai, as promised, is a mass masala entertainer that makes no bones, no pretences and has a distinctly comic-book feel to it. It is exaggerated and formulaic, but relies squarely on the charm of its leading man to pull off its over-the-top tone. Saravanan (Dhanush) is introduced as a Mr Nice guy who is upright and god fearing. He meets Gayathri (Hansika) the only daughter of Rajeshwari (Manisha Koirala) a rich arrogant business tycoon. When she comes to know about Gayathri's affair with Saravanan, she immediately arranges for their marriage as she wants a docile, henpecked husband for her daughter! But just before the wedding, Rajeshwari is in for a shock as she comes to know that Saravanan has another face and is a terror in his area. How Saravanan marries Gayathri and tries hard to win over Rajeshwari forms the rest of the predictable story. Will he succeed in his attempt and how he goes about it, forms the thrilling moments. Mappillai benefits enormously from its two core strengths ' Dhanush's scorching screen presence and Manisha Koirala's performance. Dhanush is consistently watchable and the film is a showcase not so much for his acting, but for his mass image and infectious enthusiasm. Vivek in his lengthy comic role is irritating with his funny accent, make-up and hair-style. The gags are downright silly and he seems to be taking the audience for granted. Hansika handles her role with confidence, has a smoldering presence, and is never lost even in scenes in which she has nothing to do. Music by Mani Sharma is average with Aaru Padai... and Ready Ready Ya.. being the pick of the lot. On the whole, Mappillai is a crowd-pleaser that knows exactly who its audience is. For die-hard fans of Dhanush, this old-fashioned entertainer is a treat and delivers enough entertainment for your buck. Verdict: Mass Masala |
Review: Mappillai is a bad copy of the original
This is a sample of the kind of punch lines that Sun Pictures' Mappillai (Son-in-law) abounds in.
The film is a re-worked version of the 1989 Rajnikanth [ Images ] blockbuster. This time, the masala-maker is Padikkadhavan's Suraaj, who has roped in his lucky charm Dhanush for some good old-fashioned spicy stuff to set the summer box office cash registers ringing.
So does it, in fact, work magic on the silver-screen? That remains to be seen.
This version of Mappillai has better production values than the older hit, and retains much of the original characters and their tussles. You have got the mandatory hero, Saravanan (Dhanush) a guy so good he's held as an example to all the 'youth' in the area, like Child Chinna (Vivek).
Of course, he has a 'past' in Kumbakonam as well.
Then there's the pretty, chubby heroine Gayathri (debutante Hansika Motwani [ Images ]), with whom he falls in love in double-quick fashion after plenty of silly sequences. And finally, the last part of the triumvirate and the hero's nemesis: Rajeswari (Manisha Koirala [ Images ]), the mother-in-law who almost foils her son-in-law's plans to dominate her. Almost.
It says much for Vivek's star power that the movie actually begins with him, and continues for at least 15 minutes before the hero makes an appearance.
There are plenty of scenes where the son-in-law and mother-in-law glare at each other but most lack the punch that the original had. The only saving grace is the humour quotient, particularly in the climax. While the first half moves at the reasonably good pace, the second lags, largely because you already know what's going to happen next. Every sequence is predictable.
Once again, the movie belongs to Dhanush alone; he smirks, dances, fights, crows and throws around punches and dialogues. His body language and complete ease rattling off trite words is one reason for why you're able to sit through the movie.
Manisha Koirala doesn't quite manage to bring across the powerful, conceited woman. She looks washed out, even though she does wear the best of clothes and make-up. Somehow, you can't really see her as a ruthless woman who will kill to gain her ends. Vivek, in his horrendous get-up and timely punches manages to wring a few laughs.
Then there's Hansika Motwani, one of the most anticipated debutantes of the year, already dubbed 'Chinna Khushboo' due to her resemblance to the yesteryear glamour queen. Sadly, though, her work in this movie consists only of dressing to the nines, dancing to Mani Sharma's enthusiastic tunes (especially Ennoda Raasi Nalla Raasi) and falling in love with hero at a moment's notice. In fact, she wouldn't have been out of place in an 1980s masala movie.
Suraaj, who has handled the story and dialogues has simply taken the Taming of the Shrew framework and based it on Rajni's hit. He also added some mass elements for Dhanush, making no bones about the fact that there's no logic or common sense to look out for. It's just spice, humour, and plenty of silliness thrown in for good old entertainment.
Go with low expectations.
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