MEIYAZHAGAN review

Meiyyazhagan is one of those rare films that begins and ends with intense emotions in which its audience is inextricably involved. It is a film that reignites positivity, optimism and a general appreciation of what life can be.

Karthi and Aravindswamy share the lead role in C. Premkumar’s second film after his explosive directorial debut in the film 96. The rest of the cast includes Devadharshini, Shridivya, Rajkiran, Jayaprakash, Illavarasu, MS Bhaskar, Karunakaran, Raichal Rebecca and Saran Shakthi.

When Arul’s family is forced to leave their ancestral home after a dispute among his father’s siblings, Arul becomes deeply affected by the loss, vowing to neither forgive them nor to return to the town. Years later, he is persuaded to attend the wedding of his cousin, Bhuvana. His reluctance to go there is overshadowed by his love for his cousin but his trip becomes a life-changing experience. This metamorphosis forms the rest of the film Meiyazhagan.

The film contains amazing acting performances from every member of the cast, including the smallest of speaking parts. Between the two lead stars, it’s very difficult to determine who out-performed who. Karthi, who makes a late appearance in the film, once again shows his tremendous range of acting and his ability to emote without words. Aravindswamy, known for his ability to underplay characters immerses himself completely into the character of Arul and conveys so much of emotion in his eyes, expressions and body language that it is impossible for the audience to be unmoved.

Devadharshini, Rajkiran, Jayaprakash and Illavarasu all make unforgettable contributions that are in no way overshadowed by the performances of the lead actors.

Shridhivya as Nandhini shows that one does not need lengthy screen time to make a mark. Swathi Konde as Bhuvana and Saran Sakthi as the young Arul both play endearing and memorable characters.

What makes this film work so well is the power of the script. The relationships are varied and very credible. The verbal exchanges don’t sound filmy and help to build the realism. Most importantly, the script does not stray towards melodrama.

Technically, the film is astounding. Cinematography by Mahendiran Jayaraju shows a stunning mastery of the visual medium and the film is filled with creative use of lighting, unusual angles or a combination of the two. Complementing the artistic shots is the impressive work of editor, R Govindraj who presents a seamless ensemble as the final product.

With brilliant writing and characterisation, flawless acting performances and the technical excellence, Meiyyazhagan had all the makings of what could have been a perfect film but two factors prevent the film from reaching there.

The first is Govind Vasantha’s music. Although the background score had some high points, the songs do not do enough to uplift the film. If anything, they are a distraction within the screenplay. Even the song Yaaro sung by Kamalhaasan does little beyond the Pallavi.

The second negative factor is the film’s running time. The scenes between Aravindswamy and Karthi in the second half, as important as they were in the story development, were too long and reduced the momentum and tension that had been created in the film’s first half.

Meiyazhagan scores 9 points out of 10.