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Wednesday, April 23, 2025
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TAMIL MAPPILLAI
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: **
Finally, the 2011 "Mappillai" is here. The Dhanush-starrer is the
remake of the super hit film of the name which starred Dhanush`s father-in-law
superstar Rajnikanth in the late eighties and ran to packed houses for more than
100 days.
The 1988 "Mappillai" had the ravishing beauty Amala opposite
Rajnikanth, besides the late actress Srividhya in the powerful role of his
mother-in-law.
Dhanush`s "Mapillai" would inevitably draw comments, criticism and
comparisons with the original version, notwithstanding the fact that it starred
the `eternal` superstar Rajnikanth and had `maestro` Ilaiyaraaja`s lingering
music.
However hard Dhanush might try to convince others not to compare it with the
original, the comparisons would invariably follow!
The film has a heavy dosage of so-called comedy and is littered with some
fun-filled sequences. It also possesses plenty of predictable heroisms displayed
by Dhanush. Let`s now take a peep into the story.
Saravanan (Dhanush) is a do-gooder endowed by nature with all the good qualities
others can only dream of. When he comes across Gayathri (newcomer Hansika
Motwani), the only daughter of the spoilt and arrogant baroness Rajeshwari, he
falls head-over-heels in love with her. After some initial hiccups, their
romance blooms, sending Rajeshwari into a fit of rage.
Rajeshwari, though, gives the nod for their marriage under the assumption that
Saravanan would behave in a `polite` manner and would be a `Yes, Madam` man to
her and her daughter. As those who have seen the original film know, the `Maappillai`
turns out to be a man who has loads of self-esteem.
It`s only a few days before the marriage that Rajeshwari comes to know that
Saravanan had been a terror in his native place (Kumbakonam). She immediately
changes her plans but Saravanan hoodwinks her and manages to marry Gayathri.
Unable to stop the marriage, Rajeshwari accepts the inevitable but tries her
best to make him as a puppet in her hands, but Saravanan won`t relent.
The story then moves ahead as Rajeshwari`s son is pushed into the screenplay by
the director. The tug of war between the mother-in-law and the son-in-law
starts. After some skirmishes, the movie ends in a predictable climax.
With four successive hits under his belt prior to the release of this film, it
was only obvious that Dhanush would have put in a confident performance. His
cool demeanour and Manisha Koirala`s graceful and matured performance are the
major plus points of the film.
Suraaj falters badly to make optimum use of these two stars to lift the movie to
greater heights, though the script is a known one. The movie picks up the
momentum after the marriage when Dhanush moves in as `Maappillai`, but the tug
of war, which should have been the backbone of the script, has been poorly
conceived and badly shot.
Vivek creates maximum irritation with his unimaginative ideas and weird make-up.
It is high time the actor though of something new and novel.
Hansika looks like a doll made of butter, as most of the heroines from across
the Vindhyas do. Her contribution is little else besides looking pretty.
Music by Mani Sharma is a big let down and could be one of the reasons if the
film fails to make the cut at the box-office.
On the whole, the movie is a bad remake, but is saved from becoming a disaster
thanks to the charm of Dhanush and the grace of Manisha Koirala.
Watch it at your own risk!
