Maayavi starring Surya and Jyothika is a simple, ’don’t-care-about-logic’ type caper comedy.
The plot of an actress getting kidnapped is a thing that we have seen quite a few times before(recent being the Simran episode in ’Pithamagan’).There it was Simran, here it is Jyothika, but the Kidnapper Surya remains the same.Singampuli, the assistant director of Pithamagan has just attempted to blow the comedy track of that movie into a full length film.His efforts here pay to certain extent.
Even with a wafer-thin story line and a shallow script, Maayavi manages to take us for a comical ride.It is not a very intelligent and engaging one at that, but surely not a trashy stuff.
Balaiya (Surya) and Satyaraj (Satyan) are tourist guides, occasionally they also indulge in some petty thefts for their living.In one such attempt, both of them stumble into Jyothika’s(the actress plays herself) house and the thieves are caught , jailed and beaten by the police.After his release Surya teases Jyothika during her shoots and gets jailed once again for three months due to the intentionally false police complaint given by Jyothika’s manager.After getting released Surya decides to take revenge and kidnaps Jyothika and what happens next forms the rest.
Surya, Jyothika and Satyan are the main players of the movie.The performance of Surya and the bubbly charm of Jyothika are the things that really tries to lift the movie from mundane.There are quite a good number of scenes that can evoke laughter.
The scenes such as the one where Jyothika is teased by Satyan comparing her with Simran and the Sun TV news reports on Jyothika’s kidnapping, manages to bring some laughs.But one wonders about the purpose of bringing in a spastic girl character that looks pretty odd and forced in a movie meant to tickle us.
The predictable things like the kidnapped actress falling for the Hero makes the movie a bit dull.The climax too is a big let down with its odd sentimental talks between Surya and Jyothika.
Surya does a fine job as Balaiya but his characterisation reminds us the Surya of ’Pithamagan’.Satyan as his friend fits in fine.Jyothika as herself is a bit too much with her child-like howls, but then they somehow add to the comic value with the ample support of Surya and Satyan’s dialogues.Jyothika has dubbed herself in the movie and her chewed-up tamil proves convincing and even funny at times taking into account the character she plays.Songs and re-recording by Devi Sri Prasad has nothing much to write about.
On the whole, Singampuli has exhibited his effort to make us laugh and he succeeds in it decently.Definitely you are not going to roll on the floor laughing, while watching this one.But the movie can bring in a welcome relief if you watch it with no great expectations.