Balaji's Thots

Meesaya Murukku is the semi-autobiographical tale of Hiphop Tamizha, the musical duo of Adhi and Jeeva that pioneered hiphop music in Tamil. The group initially had a small, niche audience before one of their tracks went viral and its popularity eventually led to full albums and then film music composing gigs. This path is traced in the film with the duo assuming responsibility for all departments like story, screenplay, music, lyrics and direction, aside from Adhi himself playing the lead role.

Adhi(Adhi) joins an engineering college though his real passion lies in music. But this doesn’t happen after some big argument with his father(Vivek). The dad’s arguments are sensible and convincing and Adhi takes them to heart. This father-son relationship is at the heart of the film and differs from usual dad-son portrayals that sees them at loggerheads(with the mom on the son’s side while trying to keep peace). The conversations the two of them have, like when Adhi’s romance runs into problems or when he sets out to pursue his passion, are a good mix of practicality and affection and the film doesn’t play favorites between them.

The college vibe in Meesaya Murukku feels quite real. There is neither the rich, futuristic feel of films like Kaadhal Desam(which gets referenced in one of the jokes) nor the crude, cheap feel of many other films that used the college setting just to ridicule the teachers. Though we don’t see Adhi attend many classes here either, his voice over about his experiences, his interactions with his friends and seniors and the atmosphere during the cultural programs all give off some realistic college vibes without the extremes that inhabit the portrayal of college life in most of our films. Some ridiculous scenarios like an old rival becoming the HOD damage the realism for the sake of comedy and Adhi gets a mass hero moment in the canteen but the film does a good job in portraying college life for the most part.

We get glimpses of Adhi’s talent at a couple of places as during his college life but this is balanced out by him freezing up when given the chance to showcase that talent. The rest of his college life is occupied by a very banal romance with Nila(Aathmika). Starting out with a big coincidence(she was his friend from school and ends up in the same college as him), there is neither cuteness nor drama in the track which is filled with familiar cliches like arguments with another suitor, minor misunderstandings, secret meetings and opposition from her family. The fun songs(like Maattikiche… and Sakkarakatti…)  turn out to be the only energetic portions of the romance.

The film sticks to being realistic even after Adhi finishes college and doesn’t turn into a fairy tale, rags to riches story. Tonally, the film actually has a lot in common with Mugavari after this point since success doesn’t come easily and a momentary success doesn’t automatically lead to immediate fame and wealth. Considering the generally light-hearted tone, the route the film takes surprises us on a few counts. But it does manage to leave us with a smile on our lips with a very funny closing scene featuring 2 short cameos.