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EDITOR'S PICK
'Meaghamann'
- all guns blazing (IANS Tamil Movie Review)
Rating:
***
Just like in the game of chess, how a move by your opponent might totally catch
you off guard, the proceedings in Magilzh Thirumeni's impressive action film 'Meaghamann'
achieves that. Interestingly, most of the film's characters are inspired by
chess pieces -- king, rook, bishop and pawn. In the climax, when Siva (Arya)
locks horns with the villain, Jothi, played by Ashutosh Rana, he slyly whispers
in his ear 'checkmate'. Both Siva and Jothi are kings in their own world and
that's what makes them equally strong, unlike stories in which the hero always
has the upper hand.
The chess reference in the story is quite evident and Magilzh uses it very
effectively to highlight some important moments. For instance, when we see the
villain's close aid, Chitti, for the first time, the camera zooms in on his
phone's back cover which has the image of a rook.
In chess, rook is considered the most important piece, a heavy piece to be
precise, after the king. In the film, Chitti is next in hierarchy after Jothi.
In another scene, Jothi is shown playing a game of cards on the road, and he
repeatedly ends up picking up the king to symbolically highlight that he's the
king. A small character of that of a Bollywood actor, who appears exactly in two
scenes, wears a t-shirt reading 'pawn' the first time we see him on screen.
These touches by the director are impressive and it shows Tamil filmmakers are
gradually avoiding regular cinematic stereotypes.
Arya plays an undercover policeman in a drug cartel. A man on a mission, he has
no distractions even when the heroine desperately tries to know more about him.
The film would've worked better even without a romantic track but this is Tamil
cinema, and we're used to the idea of having a heroine just for the heck of it
even if it's not necessarily needed.
Hansika plays Usha, whose father runs a hotel named 'Usha Bhavan', and this joke
is probably the dumbest moment in the film. In an impressive action film devoid
of the genre cliches, instances such as these really makes one wonder what's
wrong with the director. But Magilzh makes up for his silly mistakes by keeping
the romance one-sided. Arya is an extremely busy man, so he doesn't waste time
in singing duets with Hansika. But there's one intimate number as part of a
figment of Usha's imagination.
The action is realistic; especially the pre-interval scene. But Meaghamann is
more brain than brawn. In a standout scene, when Arya's operation is called off
by the police department and he's wanted for the killing of over a dozen people,
it's quite natural to think it's all over or expect the story to follow the path
of a regular hero-centric action film.
What follows is the exact opposite and that's where I think the director proves
he doesn't like to follow the herd. Magilzh impresses in similar fashion at
regular intervals and almost lets us down in the climax, at least to an extent.
But there couldn't have been a better climax.
Magilzh's narrative style isn't the best, considering how many times he goes
back and forth to reveal crucial moments in the story. Although he does it
convincingly, it isn't easy to appreciate the screenplay without pointing out a
few flaws. It's a fresh approach and it's perfectly alright to not appreciate if
one doesn't like it but he can't be discouraged.
It's such a relief to see Arya in a serious role after a slew of comic
characters in recent times. He plays his part subtly without trying to be an
action hero for once. Rana and Sudhanshu Pandey are decent in their respective
roles, and the best part is that they don't speak Tamil in some fake accent even
though the film is set in Mumbai and Goa.
'Meaghamann' is an almost satisfying action film going by Tamil cinema
standards.
Director Magizh Thirumeni says his upcoming Tamil film "Meegaamann" features an intimate song between lead actors Arya and Hansika Motwani that has been shot such that it doesn't appear "vulgar" on screen.Read More
Arya an intelligent actor: Magizh ThirumeniDirector Magizh Thirumeni, who has teamed up with Arya in upcoming Tamil actioner "Meegaamann", believes he is a naturally intelligent actor who can understand the requirement of a story and deliver more than expected.Read More