Magamuni Review
Star Cast : Arya, Mahima Nambiar, Indhuja, Ilavarasu, Jayaprakash
Director : Santhakumar
What makes Magamuni stand out from routine Tamil films in recent time is director-writer Santhakumar's writing and an extraordinary performance from Arya as Maga and Muni.
The plot is nothing new but it is the packaging and presentation which makes this 158 minutes long film, engaging and powerful.. The film is about love, loyalty, casteism and revenge set beautifully in lovely locations and an outstanding background score by Thaman.
Maga (Arya) is a hitman for politician Muthuraj (Ilavarasu) who is a taxi driver. His life revolves around wife Viji (Indhuja) and his 5-year-old son. He is an expert in sketching plan to finish off Muthuraj's enemies. While Maga is fiercely loyal to Muthuraj, he isn't and is just using him to get his dirty works done.
On parallel track we are introduced to Muni (Arya) who is an educated organic farmer in Erode who believes in Swamy Vivekanda’s principles and prefers to be a bachelor in life. He is a good samaritan who teaches underprivileged students and leads a very disciplined life. However, when a journalist student Deepa (Mahima Nambiar) who hails from an upper caste, moves around with him , her casteist stepdad (Jayaprakash) starts giving him trouble. How the lives of the twin brothers— Maga and Muni cross each others path forms the crux of the story…
It is the twist in the second half which is gripping and the highlight. Magamuni stands out in the writing part filled with deep philosophical lines on the existence of God, murky politics, casteism, selfishness, backstabbing, corruption, and redemption. Santhakumar has brilliantly packaged the film with his solid screenplay, superb dialogues and humour.
Yes, he has taken cinematic liberties here and there to provide the much required commercial demands, so it’s quite natural to raise questions on the logic loopholes, especially on things which happen to both Maga and Muni in the second half. However, those cinematic liberties only help the film to get a satisfying climax.
Arya has delivered a measured yet remarkable performance as both Maga and Muni. He handles both the roles with such integrity and nuance that it’s impossible not to root for him. Though the ideologies differ(Maga is an atheist but Muni is spiritually inclined), their way of approaching problems in life is calm and composed. They don’t execute things in a hurry. Maga is just a hitman but he watches BBC and as a parent, he knows what his son should hear and makes sure to provide him a healthy environment. Both Indhuja and Mahima Nambiar are fantastic in the film, it’s good to see two talented female performers in well-written roles in a film which is all about the twin brothers. The supporting cast including Ilavarasu, Jayaprakash, GM Sundar, and Deepa are excellent.
Thaman’s music and BGM is a huge asset to Magamuni. Cinematographer Arun Padmanaban’s lighting, color tone and the angles used to capture the distinct lives of Maga and Muni deserve applause. Overall, Magamuni is a classic mainstream revenge thriller which is a must-watch for its solid writing and flawless performances of the lead actors. We are going with four out of five for Magamuni. Go for it!
