One of the most eagerly awaited films of the year, Kannathil Mutthamittal has All the ingredients which promise a SUREFIRE Oscar Contention, not to mention a sweep at the next year’s Filmfare and several other awards. I was really thrilled about the feeling that the movie is going to hit the theatre’s here in Mumbai and ran to see the premiere itself, which is natural for a DIE HARD Mani Rathnam fan. My expectations were obviously SKY HIGH, especially after watching Mani’s last masterpiece, Alai Payudhe.
Coming to the movie, I have to say, it is THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN CINEMA as far as STYLE AND TECHNOLOGY is concerned. The standard has been set yet again, and mind you, this one’s tough to beat!!!Mani Rathnam sets new standards everytime he makes a new movie.This one is no exception!!Let me make it more clear.
This movie has the Best Special Effects I have ever seen till date in Indian cinema. Especially the Missiles Explosion during the evacuation of people from Mankulam, the roughness of the high seas, the shooting at Subramanian Park, etc...... make it look as if you are watching a HIGH BUDGET Hollywood movie! An effort which deserves as many accolades as possible!!
The Cinematography by Ravi.K.Chandran is also THE BEST ever seen on the silver screen and he is SURE to get the Filmfare and National awards, maybe even an Oscar Nomination if this movie is chosen as India’s entry to the Oscars.
The Action sequences by Vikram Dharma are again expertly executed and give you a thrill mostly associated with Hollywood movies only! Something that will blow the viewer away!!!!!!!!!!!!!The sequence at Subramanian Park is the highlight of the movie.
While the above mentioned aspects of the movie set new standards, there are other PLUSES TOO!!! Among them, are Sujatha’s dialogues which are simple, straight and Incredibly effective.
Also, Sreekar Prasad’s Breezy Editing gives the film a much needed pace, without which the film would have become a YAWWNY experience. And who can forget the Wonderful Title Song composed by the genius A.R.Rahman, which has the melody to pacify EVEN a stormy sea.
And of course, above all, there is the leadership of the undisputed GURU of Indian cinema, Mani Rathnam itself. His Directorial Touches are evident all through the movie and it is the JUDICIOUS use of the talented crew that has resulted in ALL the above accolades. The biggest challenge must have been trying to get everyone to speak in Srilankan language and to create an authentic look, which he does successfully. Kudo’s to him for everything!!!
The WHOLE cast deliver BRAVURA performances.
Madhavan as Thiruchelvan, the hot headed poet cum engineer does FULL justice to his role. Kudos!!
So does Simran, shedding Real tears and expressing emotions near flawlessly.
But the real scene stealer is the kid, Keerthana, who delivers a KNOCKOUT performance as Amudha, the child out to search her real mother.
Prakash Raj too does a commendable job as Harold Wickremasinghe, talking most of his part in Srilankan Tamil or the native language.
Sadly, one aspect of this movie which excited me Far Less than Mani’s other masterpieces are: Story and Screenplay. While they are not utterly terrible, they aren’t brilliant either. The fault lies with the screenplay, which is far too linear and streamlined to surprise the audience. Its easy to guess whats gonna happen next. Most of the songs are kept in the background and the film feels kinda incomplete without more songs. Infact the RUNNING time is just 2 hours 15 minutes!!!! Also, the story is kinda Weird and makes one wonder why Madhavan had to reveal the fact to Keerthana at all. The whole thing wouldn’t have happened had he just SHUT his mouth!!!! Also, Keerthana keeps running out of the house every now and then in the movie, something that’s not acceptable!
Apart from these two deficiencies, Kannathil...... is a POWER PACKED entertainer which you shouldn’t miss!! After all, Mani is Mani(PEARL)!!!!!