Maamanithan movie review: A surprisingly good movie about what makes a man great

Language: Tamil Last year, Vijay Sethupathi starred in Laabam where every scene looked like an excuse to cram our heads with information. It was a social science class that I wasn’t interested in. I was afraid a similar fate would fall upon Maamanithan, as well. In the opening scene of this Sethupathi starrer, his character, Radhakrishnan, teaches his children (a son and a daughter) the importance of running. He tells them that running frees them. But his piece of advice comes out of nowhere, and, hence, I didn’t think it would serve any purpose other than depicting the bond between a father and his kids. However, Radhakrishnan runs sometime later. It’s not the kind of running that tests his stamina, though. He runs away – from his family to find another shelter. Maamanithan is surprisingly honest. It doesn’t beat around the bush and tells a nice story straight from the heart. In the scene where Radhakrishnan talks about running, there are some dialogues about eating fish, as well. The daughter asks if it’s wrong to kill something in order to eat it, and the father says he doesn’t have an answer to that. He doesn’t come up with anything smart on the spot. But they go home and happily gorge on fish curry anyway. This attitude of his comes in handy towards the end when he’s asked by a young sage if he knows the meaning of Advaitism. It’s a standout scene that deserves applause for the way Sethupathi delivers his line. He says he only knows how to stop hiccups and walks out of the restaurant, leaving his questioner dumbfounded.

There’s no arrogance in his body language. And he doesn’t turn around to punctuate his punch line with a period. Still, it’s comedy gold. Alas, it’s also the only place where I laughed out loud. Now, let’s get back to the beginning. Radhakrishnan is an auto driver who wants his kids to speak English. With the money he makes from driving around, though, he won’t be able to enroll them in a better school. His main dream is to get them educated. And for that, he takes up another job that he’s naturally good at. Even when Savithri ( Gayathrie ), his wife, warns him regarding the perils of making a quick buck, he doesn’t listen to her. His intention is linked directly to making his kids reach the top. And education, he truly believes, will get them there. He’s definitely right about that because it’s an antidote. What he doesn’t get right, however, is the manner in which he trusts all and sundry. When he finally lands in trouble, he runs away, as it’s the easiest option that he can put his hands on.

Maamanithan doesn’t wear its coat on the shoulders of a thriller. There are no shocking revelations that tumble out of the closet in the third act, although you’ll get one if you sit through the movie. But that’s not the most interesting aspect here. Writer-director Seenu Ramasamy seems to prod at the sentiments that make us who we are. The title, which translates to a great man, is obviously related to the protagonist’s soul. We get to understand Radhakrishnan’s greatness as the movie progresses. What is greatness, by the way? Doesn’t it depend on what one does in a given situation? What do we do when push comes to shove? Savithri is also great if you think about it. She raises her kids in the same village where her husband gets badmouthed day in and day out. Doesn’t she sacrifice her sanity in a way? But Ramasamy only gives us glimpses of the insults she faces and not the triumphs she embraces. Maamanithan would have been a different film if the camera’s gaze had followed Savithri. Both of them suffer, but the filmmaker makes us sympathize mostly with Radhakrishnan’s problems. Then again, this is a drama that brings together people from different religions. Radhakrishnan’s best friend is a Muslim. And the woman he befriends in Kerala, where he finds a roof over his head, is a Christian. Although there are religious symbols everywhere, differences do not crop up anywhere. Ramasamy wants us to know that people of all faiths can live peacefully. This is a matter that has been dealt with extensively – and hilariously – in the recent Telugu release, Ante Sundaraniki, as well. In that Telugu movie, the castes and faiths are mentioned and lugged around, whereas, in Maamanithan, they simply become a part of the wallpaper. The new troubles for Sethupathi and Gayathrie are a far cry from the ones they encountered in Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012). In the decade that has passed since then, they have grown as actors individually, and as an on-screen couple that we can all shower our love upon. Maamanithan is playing in cinemas.

Karthik Keramalu is a writer. His works have been published in The Bombay Review, The Quint, Deccan Herald and Film Companion, among others.  Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.