This seems to be the season of directors attempting to prove their worth in front of the camera. The latest to join this creative quest is Karu Palaniappan who has also doubled up as the man wielding the baton in Indira Pictures Mandira Punnagai. Palaniappan, after having delivered memorable feel good films like Parthiban Kanavu, Pirivom Sandippom which were relationship oriented, has attempted a different facet of human emotion in Mandhira Punnagai.

Kadir (Karu Palaniappan), an intelligent architect is known for his acerbic tongue and waywardly life. He does not live by any rules. He is an antithesis of good behavior and hence is not popular in his apartment. His chutzpah does not let anyone near him. In comes Nandini (Meenakshi), an executive in a car showroom. Kadir does the architectural plan for Nandini’s office and the duo meet. Kadir’s candor impresses Nandini and she is attracted towards him. On Kadir’s side, Nandini reminds him of his mother in certain situations and love blossoms. At this juncture is placed the twist in the film which in fact sets the ball rolling for the rest of the happenings.

It is indeed a rarity to see a flawed personality as a hero in Tamil film which is something different in MP. The film takes its own time to unfold and its lengthiness also works to its disadvantage. MP starts off slowly, meanders in its course, peaks at some places especially during flash back sequences but ends up as mediocre. Although a succulent theme, director Palaniappan could have handled the plot in a coherent manner and he disappoints his audience this time as he loses his grip on them majorly. A crisper package would have definitely helped the film. In short MP lacks in a powerful and a cohesive screenplay.

Characterization is good in the film and Palaniappan and Meenakshi fit their roles well. As in any of Palaniappan’s films, the heroine shares equal importance with the hero and Meenakshi who detoured to glamour track after her initial ‘homely’ act in a few films, has done a decent job. Palaniappan as the caustic Kadir is perfect but the lack of modulation and emotion in his voice comes in the way of the powerful content that spews out. It is like a mismatch between words and their expression. Santhanam as Kadir’s friend is his usual self and his comedy does not appeal in most places. Thambi Ramaiah, Rishi and others form the supporting cast. Moser Baer Dhananjeyan appears in a small cameo.

Dialogues are the major and in fact one of the few plusses of MP. Bhaskar Shakthi should be lauded to have come out with pungent statements which characterize the protagonist and strikes you sharply. If this ‘punch’ had been effectively utilized, the film would have been impactful. Santhanam’s family sequences are totally disjointed and you wonder why they are the in the film at all.

Vidya Sagar’s music is just ordinary and does not add any value or dimension to the film. The songs appear forced and fall flat. Cinematography that is needed for the film has been rendered by Ramnath Shetty.

Certain questions do arise as to who has funded Kadir’s education for him to be a successful architect. Mandhira Punnagai would have worked if its minuses were pruned and pluses exploited to their hilt.

Verdict: Skewed Smile

Endhiran Theatrical Trailer:

Continuity of Storyline:  The movie maintains the comedy throughout the film, though the movie lacks grip in the second half.


Pluses: Santhanam, Arya, Songs, Dialogues

Minuses: Nayanthara and her artificial expressions

Target Audience for the film: General

Prospects for the film in coming weeks: After three weeks, the movie has been declared a hit. The trade reports are steady with full houses for evening shows. The movie will however go under the shadow of Endhiran which is releasing this week.

TamilCritic Ratings:

Direction : 16.0 / 20.0
Story : 6.5 / 10.0
Screenplay : 6.5 / 10.0
Dialogues : 8.0 / 10.0
Acting :  7.5 / 10.0

Music : 3.0 / 5.0 for Songs, 3.0 / 5.0 for Background score
Editing : 6.0 / 10.0
Cinematography : 6.0 / 10.0
 
Special Mention : Comedy : 9.0 / 10.0

Marks : 71.5 / 100


Concluding Lines: Rajesh has yet again pulled off with literally a null storyline. Rajesh scores because the movie is a family entertainer bounded with healthy comedy with no vulgarity in dialogues or scene depictions. The Limelight of the movie, however, is Santhanam. The film works greatly only for the chemistry between Santhanam and Arya. Nanbenda!!!

You know what to expect when there is the firecracker Santhanam and the rather unsuspectingly coy looking Arya in the scheme of things. Absolute time pass without a doubt. Riding high on his SMS feat (or so he assumes since the promos of Boss… had highlighted his earlier movie so as to give Boss the required push), Boss must have been a piece of cake for director Rajesh. He keeps his promise - comical relief - and the rest of the movie’s features, other than the dialogues, are really of insignificant nature, which could prove to be a toss-up.

A good start is half the job done and Rajesh seems to have concentrated real hard on the dialogues. As a result, the hollow screenplay is tactfully saved from plunging into the depths of action-less monotony. Although the movie stretches itself without any effort by the sheer success of the dialogues, Santhanam’s spontaneity stands out in the process and it renders the movie a definite thrust.

Arya is an innocuous young man who is also spoilt. He’s not loose cannon but thanks to his mother’s unhindered love, he slacks in his studies reappearing in exams after arrear exams without any demonstrated success. His brother, played by Subbu Panju - Panju Arunachalam’s son, earns enough to run the family and hence Arya needs only half a reason to take advantage of the situation. He eventually falls for the cupid’s bait and falls hook, line and sinker for Nayan – sister of his newly married brother’s wife.

But to ask Nayan’s hand in marriage, he needs to prove himself in life. So begins Arya’s journey for the greater good – his own wedding.
As is evident from the storyline, the movie has no scope for interesting twists to keep the viewer engaged for the most part. So the deficit is compensated in the name of dialogues and interesting comical sequences. Sample this: Arya walks out of his home after being reprimanded by his brother. It rains outside and while Arya walks away, his brother brings an umbrella. Arya, in the hope that his brother is coming to get him home, refuses to go home. On the other hand, his brother tells him, “Don’t come back home for the lack of an umbrella. Here it is.” Scenes like this do work and keep the narrative from sagging.
The smoky eyed Arya is at ease with himself and if not for his recurrent toothy smile, he risks looking doped. The once exuberant Nayan looks overworked and dead beat. But she makes it up in the song sequences, particularly in the songs Yaar Antha Penthan and Mama Mama. Speaking of which, Yuvan’s those two songs stand out while the rest are passé.

Santhanam is a riot and if there’s a full paisa vasool feeling after you watch this movie, attribute it to him. His wisecracks, one-liners with and without intended puns and the constant ‘Nanbenda’ are takeaways in what would have otherwise been a bland fare of mushy romance. Not many jokes in this fare fall flat, which shows the good writing.
Director Rajesh might just pull it off this time too because he’s got everything right for a comic caper. He also efficiently camouflages the saggy little portions in both the halves of his movie with crisply written dialogues. Perfect for a weekend in which you decide not to give your brain much work.
Verdict – Comedy is the boss!

Director Suseendiran proved his prowess as a fine director handling a not so popular sport like Kabbadi in his very first outing Vennilla Kabbadi Kuzhu with village milieu. He does a complete volte face in Naan Mahaan Alla with an urban subject which makes you laugh your heart out in the first half and pushes you to the edge of the seat in the second half.

Karthi (Jeeva) is a happy go lucky young man waiting for a job, not that he is serious about it. He is fun loving exuding positivity always and is popular in his circle. He has a doting family; dad (Jayaprakash) a call taxi driver, a house wife mother (Lakshmi Ramakrishnan), and a younger sister. Jeeva’s life revolves around his family and friends. He meets Priya (Kajal Agarwal) in his friend Sudha’s (a neat portrayal from Neelima) wedding and falls for her. He expresses himself to her in an interesting manner and the ways of wooing are lively and enjoyable.
When he seeks Priya’s hand in marriage, her father (Ravi Prakash) does not approve of this and averts to a local dada to dissuade Jeeva. The ensuing events are the most unexpected ones for Priya’s dad and for the audience. When life seems to go on a straight track for Jeeva, in comes a thud in the form of his dad’s scripted accident and the unhappy turn of events from that point which leads and culminates into a riveting climax.
It is Karthi, Karthi and Karthi all the way who monopolizes the film in every frame. The growth of this young actor is palpable in every shot. The mischievous twitch in the lips and a twinkle in the eye when trying to woo the heroine are a few examples. Bhaskar Sakthi’s realistic one liners and retorts come in handy and color the film in bright hue. In Paiyaa we saw Karthi getting out of the garb of Paruthi Veeran. In NMA he is just the adorable live wire boy next door who floors you with his optimism, bonhomie and comic timing in right proportion.
Kajal Agarwal does not have much to perform but does her part adequately. Jayaprakash as Karthi’s dad is efficient and the subtle gestures suggesting his love and understanding of his son are a treat to watch. The Royapuram dada makes a noticeable performance. The boy with big eyes in the villain gang is quite menacing with his aggressive demeanor.
The conversation between Karthi and Kajal over phone and their subsequent meeting clearly indicate the lively contemporary times between lovers. Same goes for Karthi’s interaction with his friends. The scene involving his boss at the liquor shop is one more example of Karthi scoring in comedy department.
Suseendiran has dichotomized the mood of the film clearly and a touch of levity runs through the first half while seriousness pervades the second half. Credible characterization and a fairly neat screenplay are the positive components in NMA. He has not veered from the subject and if at all something slows down the momentum, it is the Deivam Illai number in the second half. The bringing in of villains and fusing them at the right place is interesting. A few sequences could have been pruned which could have given a complete feel to the film.
Yuvan does a neat job in the music department and Iragai Pole’s picturization is appreciable. Vaa Vaa Nilavai Pidichu has Karthi trying out a few dance steps. In the second half, Yuvan’s RR work dominates and steers the film ahead. Rajeevan’s art work is hardly visible which only goes on to reiterate his success in his job. Interestingly he appears in a small cameo. Madhie behind the camera conveys the mood of the film through his apt lighting. The climax fight choreographed by Anal Arasu gels with the characterization of the subjects.

Although there are a few slow patches, Suseendiran should be appreciated for coalescing the energy and entertainment of a mainstream film with a sensitivity of a realistic one. He has the wholesome attention of the audience in most parts.

Verdict – A hard hitting realistic take!

Nearly a year after the release of SMS, filmmaker Rajesh has completed shooting for his movie Boss Engira Bhaskaran. The film is produced by Vasan Visual Venture and is now acquired by actor Arya himself for his banner The Show People and producer Udhayanidhi Stalin of Red Giant Movies.

The film's trailer was screened along with yesterday's release Vamsam. The 2 minute trailer was enough to keep the audiences elated as the major portions had funny liners of Arya and Santhanam.

There happens to be a sequence where Santhanam says, "It's really difficult to walk such a long distance to get a loan sanctioned", for which Arya replies, "Just imagine, how many time the lender will walk to our places after giving us loan".

Boss Engira Bhaskaran has Nayanthara performing the female lead role while Jeeva is expected to make a cameo appearance.

Yuvan Shankar Raja has scored music and Sakthi Saravanan has handled cinematography. 


Watch Boss Engira Bhaskaran Trailer :