Maamanithan

Maamanithan movie review: Vijay Sethupathi seamlessly fits into the role of a man trying to solve the mysteries of life through repentance.

Supporting actors Guru Somasundaram Gayathrie, and Jewel Mary bring a lot of realism to the movie through their performance. Seenu Ramasamy, who has also written the movie, seems to want his audience to understand the importance of strengthening and protecting one’s spirituality. Krishnan switched his profession to real estate because he wanted to provide an expensive education to his children. The malice has now taken full control of Krishnan. And it seems he is almost beyond redemption. In return, he asks for a share in total profits. In Maamanithan, meaning the great human, Radha Krishnan (Vijay Sethupathi) is a very honest man.

They are extraordinary to the proportion that they are, in fact, superheroes. But unlike your regular superheroes, Seenu Ramasamy's heroes draw their superpower ...

This little moment in the opening portion provides the drama for the second half, where Radhakrishnan is on the run. It is a bedtime story that the father tells his daughter but something about this familiar tale makes you happy, even though the manner in which they get married is not exactly extraordinary. There is a beautiful scene where the father tells the kids that whenever they go through a hard time in life, they need to take a run. It is hard to guess the film’s timeline but going by the wallposters, it looks like Maamanithan is set in the 1990s — how appropriate, you might wonder. But the real damage in writing such good tales is, it becomes a tad simplistic and generic after a point. They are extraordinary to the proportion that they are, in fact, superheroes.

Maamanithan doesn't beat around the bush and tells a nice story straight from the heart.

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. What he doesn’t get right, however, is the manner in which he trusts all and sundry. The title, which translates to a great man, is obviously related to the protagonist’s soul. She raises her kids in the same village where her husband gets badmouthed day in and day out. 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. It doesn’t beat around the bush and tells a nice story straight from the heart. His intention is linked directly to making his kids reach the top. 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. Even when Savithri ( Gayathrie), his wife, warns him regarding the perils of making a quick buck, he doesn’t listen to her. And he doesn’t turn around to punctuate his punch line with a period. In the opening scene of this Sethupathi starrer, his character, Radhakrishnan, teaches his children (a son and a daughter) the importance of running. 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.