Magalir Mattum Review
Star Cast : Jyothika, Urvashi, Bhanupriya, Saranya
Director : Bramma
Director Bramma who made that hard-hitting Kuttram Kadithal is back with Magalir Mattum, a feel-good film highlighting the plight of homemakers in male chauvinistic families and their lost freedom after getting married.
Prabhavathi, a bold documentary filmmaker realizes that her soon to be mother-in-law Komatha (Urvashi) misses her best friends in college Subbulakshmi (Saranya Ponvannan) and Rani Amirthakumari (Bhanupriya).
Komatha is a single mother whose son is in US, Subbulakshmi leads a monotonous life with an alcoholic husband Mangalamoorthi (Livingston) and bed ridden mother-in-law while Rani Amirthakumari is controlled by her son (Pavel Naganathan) and husband(Nassar), who are powerful politicians in Agra. All the three women in their 50's have buried their dreams and sacrificed happiness & freedom to make others happy.
With the help of Facebook, Prabhavathi unites the three friends and go on a road trip to kindle their good memories and also to provide them a liberating experience.
What works in Magalir Mattum is the feel-good factor, the chemistry between the four actresses Urvashi, Bhanupriya, Saranya Ponvannan and Jyothika and the climax twist. But what goes against the film are the melodramatic, over-stretched flashback scenes of 70's, men being conveniently less defined and the fact that director Bramma seems to be carried away by the fact that he has Jyothika as heroine and has to give her all the swag and mannerisms of a big star.
Jyothika shines as Prabha and her energy levels are infectious. She holds the film together with her strong screen presence. The three ladies, Urvashi, Bhanupriya and Saranya Ponvannan are good but my pick is Saranya. Urvashi overacts while Bhanupriya does her part well. Madhavan in a cameo in the last scene is sheer magic.
Ghibran's music is undeniably the film's biggest strength, his songs and background score elevate the scenes to a different level. Manikandan's cinematography gives a breezy feel to the film but we feel that the editing could have been better.
Overall, Magalir Mattum is a watchable feel-good film for families.
