Nov 28 2011
Mayakkam Enna
After tackling the very different socio-fantasy genre with Aayirathil Oruvan, Mayakkam Enna finds director Selvaraghavan back on familiar territory, tackling human emotions and complex relationships. The film takes an honest, uncompromising look at a relationship between a man and a woman as it traverses the route from complicated romance to stormy marriage. But like the relationship between the lead couple, the film too has its ups and downs.
Karthick Subramanian(Dhanush) is an aspiring wildlife photographer looking for that big break and making ends meet with help from his 4 friends and minor photography assignments. When his best friend Sundar(Sundar) begins dating Yamini(Richa), Karthick and Yamini are unable to deny the mutual attraction between them. As Karthick struggles to control his feelings for the sake of friendship, his dream of becoming an assistant to top wildlife photographer Mathesh Krishnaswamy(Ravi Prasad) also comes crashing down.
The clash between romance and friendship is brought out well in the love triangle involving Dhanush, Richa and Sundar. While Sundar’s trust at times comes off looking like cluelessness, making us laugh at him, all three involved are treated with respect for the most part. So the characteristics of the three of them – Sundar is trusting, Richa is clear about what she wants while Dhanush struggles between friendship and love – lead to a situation which is constantly volatile and could explode at any moment.
Dhanush’s passion for photography is nicely expressed and he beautifully conveys the importance of doing what one loves. But its the way Dhanush and Richa tackle their initial feelings for each other that gives us an idea about their characters. While Richa is ready to face the issue head-on, Dhanush simply runs away instead of facing it. This side of their characters rears its head at all the important junctions and decides the routes their lives take.
The time spent on the love triangle allows Selvaraghavan to really focus on it, exploring all its nuances in engrossing fashion. But compared to his life leading up to marriage, the two phases of Dhanush’s life after marriage don’t get as much screen time. The events that initiate the two phases are strong enough to make the changes convincing but the phases themselves aren’t completely effective.
The lack of impact is due to very different reasons though. In the down phase, the jump in time that lands us in the middle of the period leads to a sense of disconnect that disallows an emotional link with Dhanush and Richa. The few snapshots we see are raw and visceral, giving us a peek into lives that are destroyed by depression and alcoholism and rescued by love and an unwillingness to give up. But they remain just that, snapshots, and the lack of knowledge about the journey that led them to that point keeps the viewer at a distance.
On the other hand, the next phase smacks of amateurishness and feels like something Selvaraghavan half-heartedly appended to the end to lift the film up. The events that lead to the phase feel contrived and the elements of the segment feel rather cheap, from Dhanush’s ill-fitting wig to a very amateurishly staged international award show (where a photo that is several years old is used by one of the nominees of the ‘Photographer of the Year’ award).
Though the film is mostly about the relationship between Dhanush and Richa, the film doesn’t neglect the other characters. Dhanush’s friends are a likeable bunch and the care they have for Dhanush and the easy camaraderie they share have been shown well. Parents usually get a bad rap when the film revolves around youngsters but Sundar’s dad here also gets a nice, important role with a particularly unique way of resolving a big conflict among friends.
Dhanush seems to be going from strength to strength as an actor and digs into another complex role with gusto. The range of emotions he displays, whether he’s masking his feelings for Richa in front of his friend, lashing out at her when drunk or pleading with her to give him a chance, are all tackled naturally and convincingly. And those spontaneous dances he breaks into during the song sequences are delightful as always. Richa makes a confident debut in a strong role. She conveys a lot with her eyes and brings to life the strong, confident and stubborn character. G.V.Prakash delivers a youthful soundtrack that goes well with the film’s tone. Voda Voda… is interestingly picturized with Dhanush generating both laughs and sympathy as he laments about his life. The snippets from his life work better than the CGI scenes though. Kaadhal En Kaadhal… starts off in surprising fashion but has some nice choreography. Naan Sonnadhum… is a cheerful number while Pirai Thedum… is as soulful as the situation calls for.
12 responses so far
Nice review as always, Balaji.
However, my overall impression of the film was much more favorable than yours. I absolutely enjoyed it so much so that it is at the top of my personal pile for 2011. The only negative was the slight melodrama in certain scenes especially the two that feature minor acts of violence on the main character’s part (without spoiling things much). Those were the only scenes that left a bad taste in my mouth because I found it difficult to see whether the characters on the receiving end would ever forgive him for that. Besides that, most of the film’s transformations felt natural to me.
As for the ending, I was in fact looking forward to a negative ending based on Selva’s history. So the positive outlook actually surprised me but it never felt artificial to me. Given the progression of the story, I felt that was sort of a natural conclusion, excluding the obvious dramatic effect of the years old photography, a minor flaw that could easily be overlooked. And the film’s final scene was absolutely brilliant, though you could say I am a sucker for positive endings.
Dhanush was outstanding as always and gave arguably his best performance when considering the dramatic range that he had to show in the film. But the film’s surprise package was Richa. I felt she was exceptional and gave a performance that no one could’ve expected from her given this is her debut in Tamil and she is only a couple of films old in Telugu. Especially in the one key scene in the second half and the climax, her acting was really moving, which is not something you usually say about Kollywood actresses. Although you could say that a large credit for that goes to the director also.
Technical aspects were great as always for a Selva film. Ramji’s outdoor cinematography was always going to be key given the link to photography, but I found his work on the indoor scenes equally impressive. GVP’s music was able to match, if not outdo, Yuvan’s work for Selva. And Pirai Thedum… was a real highlight. People going gaga over Why This Kolaveri… should really listen to this song to understand Dhanush’s brilliant lyrics. (I was actually surprised to learn that he had penned this song.)
So, yeah, given the way I am gushing over the film in this comment, you can easily make out that I enjoyed it a lot. I am planning to watch it at least once more to see whether it warrants further discussion and to really delve into the brilliance of Selva’s direction. Oh and this film has the distinct honor of rekindling my passion for photography.
The first half was brilliant, the first meeting between Dhanush and Richa were pretty explosive and really could feel the tension between the characters and slow growing love between them. There was some unpredictability on how the story was going and was already bracing myself for the ending. But i was shocked by the climax, didint seem like the Selvaraghvan kind of ending. It was sweet change from the depressing mode of the director’s movies.
Selva’s movies fall into an unique genre. You either want to see them or stay away from them. Until I saw Pudhupettai, I did not really care for his style or those love lost stories. But post Pudhupettai, it was an awakening. Aayirathil Oruvan was a let-down but I’m looking forward to Mayakkam Enna. He is one of those rare directors who doesn’t mind exploring the darker side of the human emotions. From your review, this is a thumbs up
I like Selva because he tackles human emotions with gusto. He never shies away from reality and I feel that Dhanush always gives his best to his brother.. Waiting to watch it.. I really like Richa. She has a very expressive face! Reminds me of Kajol’s acting… I loved her in Leader..
I have yet to see this movie. I always watch Selva’s movies. He is different, AO not withstanding.
I saw another movie recently – KARUNGALI. It is scripted and directed by Mu.Kalanchiyam. The lead role is also played by him. (Never heard of him before). But Anjali is there, (and in a very different role) which was why I watched it in the first place. The violence in the movie is a candidate for debate a-la Velayudham. Will wait for you to see and review
her hair looks horrible.
@Sivaraman Why This Kolaveri Di is hilarious. I love it. Its laugh out loud funny and sadly depressing at the same time.
As for the movie, I liked it from what I saw in the trailer. And from the review it sounds like a well-acted movie so I might still give it a go if I can find it online.
Balaji, that was a good mini review. I liked the ending too. That was the only bright spot in the otherwise disappointing final segment. And the cinematography indoors was something I forgot to mention. The lighting in some scenes was very nice and matched Dhanush’s state I thought.
skanda, I felt that about the first half too. The feelings between them like the artificial anger and the hidden love were beautifully captured and we could feel the tension between them.
meera, yes a definite thumbs up. selva always makes interesting, honest movies. so they are always worth a watch.
Krithika, yes, that part about Selva not shying away from reality is true here too. and Dhanush has helped him very ably with his portrayal.
venkit, haven’t seen Karungali yet. as for Velayudham, my problem was not with the violence per se. It was with the censor rating for that violence.
The movie took me by surprise. It felt very simple and yet had strong emotional drama which was delivered very well. You are right about Danush going stronger and stronger. Good to see the Real Danush! Loved the movie.
Hi, thought the movie had a fresh concept and the romance was good. Both Danush and Richa had done a commendable job. But as always, movie does not appeal to all classes. Only those with a passion for good cinema might like it so well. See my review below
http://kanaamedia.com/2011/11/25/mayakkam-enna-2011-celluloid-pageant-of-passion-review-2/
Selvaragavan, gautham menon & Ar. Murugadoss are my 3rd/4th/ & 5th best directors after Mani ratnam & Shankar, i love their movies, eagerly anticipated till it reaches theatres. But i dont like the common thing in them, the climax, their enthusiasm, energy & the liveliness thats available in the first half is always missing in the last part of the movie , Kaakka Kaaaka, vettaiyadu vilyadu, Gajini, 7aam arivu, pachaikili muthucharam, ayirathil oruvan, 7G rainbow & Puthupet were some the movies i enjoyed watching from this trio but was disappointed with the climax & as it lacked the energy at the beginning. Shankar’s jeans was the best climax i have ever seen which surprised me completely as it was enexpected (Radhika’s arguement with nasser). was expecting the usual climax but everytime i watch the movie, it never fails me to excite me. now thats the kind of Climax would like to see from the trio of directors. Hope mayakkam enna has a better ending.
Another movie worth watching is Porali. Just finished watching it. Don’t want to be a spoiler. Will wait for your review