MAATTRAAN – REVIEW
If you are looking at a time pass entertainer, walk into KV Anand’s Maattrraan. It is a fun ride till interval and in the second half there is a neat message told with lot of cinematic liberties. Suriya holds the film together as the script tends to waver towards the climax.
Technically the film is outstanding with top of the range special effects and graphics, realistically portrayed action scenes, breath-taking camera work, fast-cut editing and great chemistry between the lead actors.
Ramachandran (Sachin Khedekar) is a genetic scientist who is a genius but the government does not give him his due respect. His wife delivers conjoined twins Akilan and Vimalan (Suriya in dual role). After the birth of his children, Ramachandran’s life changes for the better and soon he becomes a multimillionaire as his energy drink –Energion, a memory booster becomes popular and he sets up huge plants to manufacture it. Meanwhile the Siamese twins grow up into young men. Though they are stuck together, they are as different as chalk and cheese.
Akilan is a cool, chilled out guy who celebrates life and lives it up while Vimalan is the shy introvert who believes in socialism. Around this time foreign companies try to steal Energion formula which is closely guarded. A Russian woman with help of a beautiful interpreter Anjali (Kajal Aggarwal) tries to trap the twins, which leads to a dangerous situation that gets out of control.
The VFX done by Srinivas Mohan of Enthiran fame is as good as any foreign film. The action scenes of the conjoined twins in the amusement park, and the way they dance together look so real on screen. KV Anand is a director with a vision and he knows how to bring in the right mix of entertainment elements.
However, Anand and his writers Subha could have made the script tighter towards the climax. Soundar Rajan’s camera especially the Norway song and scenes shot in Russia are fantastic, Antony’s editing is fast paced. Harris Jayaraj has come out with some peppy numbers.
The best scenes in the film are those involving the conjoined twins. The theatre scene where Akilan is trying to help Vimalan kiss and woo Anjali, brings the house down. On the downside the film is like the proverbial curator’s egg, good in parts. The first half is terrific, while post interval, it lacks conviction and climax is too long. At 2 hours and 47 minutes it could have done with some trimming.
And at the end if you come away smiling, it’s only because of Suriya’s superb performance in a difficult double role. The best scenes are those involving him in the first half as the twins have a ball bickering and bonding. As the calm and cool Vimalan and the hyperkinetic Akilan , he carries the show.
Kajal Aggarwal has a sheepish grin throughout the film and to a certain extent her character is bettered thanks to Chinmayi’s dubbing. Sachin Khedekar has done his role which has shades of grey in a convincing manner.
