Rahman’s Music Elevates ‘Maamannan,’ Tedious Drama Pulls It Down
The 2023 Tamil movie “Maamannan” opens with a sleek shot of the state assembly, emblematic of its plot’s primary theme – power politics. Next, we see a pack of dogs leaving a house, juxtaposed by pigs in a pen somewhere else. Experts say it’s best to not leave a pig and dog unsupervised alone, or you might be left with a mauled pig. Director Mari Selvaraj uses these pigs and dogs’ symbolism throughout the film to tell a tale of caste clash and power politics.
In an interesting casting choice, actor Vadivelu, whom viewers are used to seeing in comedic roles, plays the titular character in “Maamannan”, a Dalit MLA whose son Veeran, portrayed by Udhayanidhi Stalin, refuses to see him in the eye. In a tragic flashback, viewers are told how a brutal case of caste violence leads to estrangement between father and son, as Maamannan chooses to cover up the case in return for political favors. Fahadh Faasil plays antagonist Rathinavelu, a hot-headed cold-blooded generational politician, whose older brother ransacks Veeran’s building, where his friends were running a free tuition center for underprivileged students. Rathinavelu tries to play mediator but ends up antagonizing Veeran further; his high-handedness leads to a surprise reconciliation between the father and son. But can the duo stand up against the man whose family wields significant power and clout through the region?
Despite a solid story about caste equations and family bonds, Mari Selvaraj spends too much time on theatrics, extended shots, and repetitive dialogues. The 2-hour-40 minutes runtime becomes too overbearing because of needless drama that’s stretched beyond its need. You constantly feel the urge to hit the fast-forward button, and it’s not the elongated runtime, but rather the poor writing to blame. The director should’ve taken notes from the 2021 hit “Jai Bhim” on how to keep the viewers engaged until the end, as both movies are almost the same in length and have caste oppression as their primary themes.
The cinematography is vivid and engaging but is weakened by overstretched shots to over-explain situations. However, there’s a black-and-white flashback of caste violence, where a group of boys is stoned for swimming in a well by upper-caste men, and that sequence was gut-wrenching. Unfortunately, as the plot progresses, the story becomes more about the egos of the protagonist and the antagonist, instead of a larger narrative. The pride of these men overshadows any issues the film tries to delve into. It’s all about heroics, villainy, and drama. Vadivelu gets to shine towards the climax, where he delivers a speech, and the build-up to that moment makes you expect a rousing address. But his address to the common man was mediocre at best; the poor writing scuttles any chance “Maamannan” had to recover and win over viewers.
Fahadh Faasil is evil incarnate as the arrogant Rathinavelu; there’s this spark of madness in his eyes through the performance, which makes it easier to hate the character. Udhayanidhi Stalin, on the other hand, delivers an extremely lackluster performance as the “angry young man,” and it doesn’t help that his character is inconsistently written. For example, he is portrayed as a stubborn yet kind man who hasn’t spoken a word to his father in over a decade, but one incident is all it takes for the father and son to become best friends. It’s ironic how he doesn’t regard his own father in positive light for years and expects strangers to extend respect to the man. Keerthy Suresh as Leela, an ambitious young woman who runs a free tuition center for poor students, is practically forgotten for large chunks of the movie, even though her character serves as a catalyst for the primary action in the story.
What sets up higher expectations for “Maamannan” is the fact that the music is by maestro A. R. Rahman, and the film does have some great tracks. The song “Kodi Parakura Kaalam,” which plays as Leela’s introductory number in the first half, is an incredible feminist anthem, with energetic folk beats and beautiful lyrics that celebrate women. “Nenjame Nenjame” is a sweet soft romantic number, which isn’t done justice to in the film, since the chemistry between Keerthy and Udhayanidhi is awkward at best.
The sub-plot about the free-tuition center is reminiscent of the 2023 Tamil film “Vaathi,” which also has long runtime and theatrics but was at least made entertaining by Dhanush’s performance as a talented math teacher who helps students from poor economic backgrounds. The same cannot be said about “Maamannan,” which does have a gripping first half but becomes extremely tedious after setting up its primary premise.
It’s a 4 on 10 from me. You can stream the film on Netflix.
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