Mr. Chandramouli Tamil Movie

Feature Film | 2018 | Comedy, Drama
Critics:
The movie is a family entertainer that almost had its masala in the right proportions barring a few standard cliches that hampered it from being classified as a 'must-watch' one.
Jul 7, 2018 By Baranidharan Sivasankaran



A young man is at a restaurant with his girlfriend who has been coaxed to join him for a cup of coffee. The girl's father is at the same restaurant and this young man who comes to know about it yells "Mr.Chandramouli"...


The year was 1986 and who could forget that scene from Maniratnam's cult classic "Mouna Raagam" which had Karthik play "Manohar", a role that painted a happy-go-lucky character with neo-liberal shades, a coming of age thing for the Kollywood of the 80s. "Mr.Chandramouli" since then has become an iconic name in Kollywood and enjoys a great recall value, even among the audiences of today.


So "Mr.Chandramouli", the movie's title brazenly calls out for anything to do with actor Karthik. Directed by Thiru, the movie is a family drama that almost had the right mix of sentiment, action, romance and some laughable bits.


The story begins as a rivalry between two call taxi companies wherein each of them wants to be one-up in the competition. In other words, it's a corporate war as they rightly point out. A boxer Raghav (Gautam) and his dad Chandramouli (Karthik) who lead a peaceful life are dragged into the mess. Now, it's Raghav's turn to avenge for the loss he suffers.


Of course, this one is a masala that failed to take off in the first half. The movie initially progressed with standard fair of action, drama, romance with some unwanted songs and some comic bits from Satheesh. A twist arises during the interval block and from then on things became a bit more interesting.


The action bits involving Gautham was interesting, especially considering the "condition" he is subjected to. Regina was also not merely used as a bubbly doll but was made to travel along the story. In fact, she was depicted as someone who could think through her head - a rarity for a heroine in a masala movie!


Karthik appeared unwell with an awry lipsync and was fumbling with his dialogue delivery. For Gautham Karthik, this role was not a radically different one, but there were some "mass" elements laced with it which he has surprisingly pulled off well.


The scenes between Varalakshmi and Karthik were also interesting. The relationship between them was so delicately handled with a subtle justification that made sense. These are some of the unsung landmark moments that we should acknowledge as it goes on to show that Kollywood and the audience are coming-of-age.


Santhosh Prathap who has been seen in a few movies in the past looked manly and handsome. Sporting a toned-down body, he would make a suave baddie for Kollywood of the future.


Of course, the movie had its logical flaws, thanks to a liberal dose of an "instant" masala narrative which went overboard at times. The flashback between Karthik and Varalakshmi was not very convincing for the twists and turns the story took from there.


Music by Sam CS was decent. "Yedhedho Aanene" had a nice rhythm to it and was picturized with a good dose of glamour.


The movie is a run-of-the-mill family entertainer that could be watched for its largely sensible screenplay and not so over-the-top action scenes. Though, I wouldn't classify it as a must watch!

Baranidharan Sivasankaran

   

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