Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam Review
Director: Gitanjali Selvaraghavan
Cast: Balakrishna Kola, Wamiqa Gabbi, Azhagam Perumal
This is a delightful film about very little and yet it says so much. Strong characters are its biggest draw and the film is all about the emotional journey of two people coming from different strata of society. What happens when they marry and live together? Even sharing a toilet, bed or going to a restaurant becomes a pain!
Over the last fourteen years, audiences are used to Selvaraghavan’s style of storytelling and film making and we all know that he has great affection for his characters. He tells their story without flash or melodrama that grips you in a weird way. You recognize these characters. By all means, Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam too is a typical Selvaraghavan film yet stands out with debutant director Gitanjali playing it out with admirable ease.
Selva’s scripts always have fantasy elements, we all know such things won’t happen in real life but still we all root for his underdog characters. But somehow, his heroes will get a perfect girl and things might or might not work between them-this is the basic premise of almost all his love stories and Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam is no exception.
Manoja (Wamiqa Gabbi) is a bold, modern girl with far too many male friends at work and outside. But they can’t take her for granted, as she has a set of principles and sticks to it. We are introduced to her as she is recovering from a break-up and her mom (a cancer patient) wants Manoja to get into an arranged marriage with Prabhu (Balakrishna), an introvert whom girls don’t really like to spend time with.
To Prabhu’s tough luck, Manoja is too classy and she finds him intolerable most of the time. On their wedding anniversary night he forces himself on her, driving the last nail in the coffin of an already doomed marriage. At one point the couple applies for divorce. Watch out on the big screen to know what happens….
The biggest strength of Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam is the strong writing and characterization of the heroine and bold dialogues. Newcomer Balakrishna Kola has given his best to make the character believable and real. But the real hero and show-stealer is the Punjabi girl Wamiqa Gabbi. She is a delicious find who is fresh and apt for the role. Her lip sync is perfect and Deepa Venkat’s dubbing is an added plus.
On the downside, the film has few over the top moments. In the second half, the slim story is stretched but Gitanjali never lets it snap. Nevertheless, this lady director has to be appreciated for taking up a gutsy subject and handling a relevant theme with dignity and maturity.
Gitanjali has been amply supported by Amrit’s music, be it background score or songs, this debutante is a promising find.
Overall, Maalai Nerathu Mayakkam might not be a perfect movie but it is a bold attempt, which must be watched by all married couples and youngsters!
