Manithan Tamil Movie
In relative terms, Manithan is easily, without doubt, the best film of Udhayanidhi Stalin, the actor, who has always been seen running behind heroines and stalking them so far. This is surely a welcome and it looks like Udhay has warmly welcomed it open hands. He has quite enjoyed playing the role of Shakthi, a struggling junior law practitioner, who gets humiliated by his father in law and would-be in an incident that provokes him to leave his hometown Pollachi. He arrives to Chennai, like most of the Tamil cinema heroes, to find a new lease of life; to prove it to the world that he can 'earn money' on his own.
Thus, the story of the rise of an underdog is really set up and perfectly established for the audiences. In most of the underdog stories, viewers, despite knowing the final outcome, wait for engaging twists and turns that move the story forward. Director Ahmed has exactly provided that and more in Manithan, which is an official remake of national award-winning Hindi film Jolly LLB.
A curious Shakthi, who is raring to loudly announce his arrival to the world, locks horns with Aadhi Sheshan (played by the superbly enjoyable Prakash Raj), a criminal lawyer who saves an accused from an affluent family at the cost of unprivileged poor, who are forced to confront the harsh reality of the judicial system, which is replete with shortcomings.
Two important factors that worked in favor of the film are the emotional connect with the characters and the sterling performances of the supporting cast. Radharavi as Judge Dhanapal nails it with his extraordinary performance and the scenes, where he lashes out at Prakash Raj, will leave you with Goosebumps for the sheer energy of the veterans at display.
Santhosh Narayanan's background score accentuates the mood of the film, especially in a lot of emotional moments that leave viewers slightly mist-eyed. The vibrant visuals of Madhi have helped overcome the claustrophobia caused by the courtroom, where most of the scenes are shot.
Toting up, Manithan is a worthy watch for the well-intentioned message it manages to put forward without any over-the-top emotions.
MOVIE REVIEWS