From shouldering the huge burden of hype and hoopla, Dhanush the actor has broken free from the stage of ROUTINE to an unfazed zone of acting. Mariyan strikes the unique balance of cinematic experience with everything you can dream of. In the hour of test and faith, Love prevails and gets the man ashore swaying all odds. Dhanush, the National awardee comes out with yet an award winning performance, so memorable you would forget to finish off the popcorn. What more could we expect from a team of zealous technicians who have come together to present a movie of a lifetime. However let's put on our magnifying glasses and review this movie.
Dhanush has come a long way from the days of KadhalKondein, which was one of the firsts to showcase his talents in acting, and this movie pitches agony and love together, unleashing the unexpected. As a fisherman from the suburbs of Tamil Nadu, carefree but full of energy he is taunted by a girl sparkling with love for long. The film starts off in Sudan, Africa where Mariyan (Dhanush) is seen working for a contractor and after some rigorous 2 years of work, he is upbeat about getting back to home, sea, food and his soul mate Panimalar (Parvati). Dhanush and Parvati ooze the chemistry of love and separation in the first scene itself, a beautiful spring that showcases the excitement of meeting each other after a while.
Instantly we are sent in a Flashback, where Mariyan is the nomad fisherman who is always happy-go-lucky and keeps smudging off Parvati, who is in her umpteenth attempt to lure Mariyan with Appukuty's help. The beautiful seashore, the people who flock around, love in the air, BB makes you literally smell the aroma of sea. The first half is a visual treat to watch and feel how the love of Mariyan-Pani evolves amidst the sweetness of the waves and fishes. The screenplay evolves lazily and the director takes plenty of time in the love segment, to an extent where it makes you wait for the intermission.
Now that our patience was put to tremendous test, he justifies it through the second half where Mariyan is now held captive along with two other prisoners. In the middle of nowhere the prisoners are held at gunpoint by African terrorists who demand money to the company that handles them. From then on the movie almost transforms into a web of struggle and pain that Mariyan faces. Under traumatic circumstances, Mariyan encounters myriad images of Panimalar and takes that as a sense of inspiration to come out of his misery, and that does not come at ease. All said the torture and violence from the terrorists makes you wonder why? Their characters are not etched in a reasonable way, and BB could've given more insight on their drive towards cruelty.
The movie itself is split in two milieus, one with a fisherman's routine life and love and the other is how much Love can catapult an individual to take the extra mile. In the middle of so many movies lately that end on a negative note, yet hit the BO, Bharat Bala has carved a niche among a positive tale tellers and has given a movie that you can take back home on a high note. The standard he has set is so breathtakingly high, that makes us wonder what next. To ponder hard and point the negativity, it should be the lethargic screenplay in the first half, as BB has taken a lot of time to tromp their love home.
Rahman is one word "Awesome", be it the BGM or the songs, they sizzle throughout. In the scenes that follow the struggle of Mariyan it inspires and motivates perennially. For the underwater scenes, Rahman's ripple effect on the waters magnify with Auro 3D crystal clearly, that its realism demystified. And Marc the French Cinematographer! Boy what can we say about him! The rusty deserts, serene oceans, the fishy tale, enigmatic love and infinite range of visual awesomeness sum up his work. For the African part of the movie he has used mild and varied color tone.A bunch of Kudos to editing work by Vivek.
Acting wise, no little or lengthy words to explain the magnificence of Dhanush, he can go up with heads high of the fact that, he is no more an ordinary actor down the lane and more is left in that lean body. Parvati as Panimalar is sure to create a crater size impact on Indian Cinema, her eyes twinkle and do most of the talking, but that doesn't stop the actress, her chemistry with Dhanush is one of the best in Tamil Cinema. Rest of the cast Appukuty, Uma Riaz, Jagan, African cast all live up to their expectations as well.
Ergo, a fine movie not just to watch and enjoy, but to feel and relish.
Verdict : 3.5/5
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