Mankatha – A gamble worth the bucks.

   

     I had always dreamt of reviewing movies and really wanted to start the criticism process with a much hyped up movie. That is when ‘Thala’s 50’ came by. First of all, I am a big fan of Thala probably for the reason that he didn’t have any godfather when he entered the industry. He possesses immense acting potential which is very evident from his mega hits like Vaali, Amarkalam, Dheena, Mugavari, Villain and now Mankatha.

     Let us come to the negatives of this movie first. The movie is simply too crowded. Appa, ethana characters! At this juncture, I am intrigued by the following thought. Of all the spellings, Venkat Prabhu seems to have chosen ‘Mankatha’ for the title, which seems to be inappropriate. The movie is so full of men and should have been named ‘Menkatha’ instead. And most of them are really young actors, barely even 25. So, it would be even more appropriate to name the movie ‘Thala and the thiruttu pasanga’.

Ivanunga thaan avanunga.

     Venkat Prabhu seems to maintain an attendance register of his young cast which he uses in every movie and the attendance seems to rise from movie to movie. He chooses the storyline and then makes sure atleast 80% of the attendance is compulsory. One of the constants in his movies is his brother, Premji Amaren, who, in this movie, reprises the role of Prem, a geeky I.I.T. gold medallist who wishes to go for a job that pays him a petty Rs.60000 per month. Seriously, I.I.T. gold medal-kke 60000 thaan salary nna, appo enga gadhi laam enna aagaradhu? Also, why are directors stereotyping I.I.T. geeks as hackers? Thirundhunga da dei. The scene in the car where Prem gets totally drunk and yet hacks into a bank’s security camera system with only his laptop just by standing outside the bank’s office was so funny that I was the only one laughing out loud in the theatre during the supposedly serious scene. Best (mokka) kalaai of I.I.T. geeks by Premji.

         As for the women in the movie, they are the perfect mix of sensuousness and stupidity. Trisha and Anjali have nothing to do other than crying and fooling around with their respective boyfriends. It is Lakshmi Rai who steals the show. She is shown to be sexy at first, scheming later. Scheming to the point of being stupid in the climax sequence where she is shown trying to seduce Ajith when there is a shootout going on outside. Seriously woman, do you think he is going to fall for such a cheap trick of yours? You should have run instead.

     Seri, we understand that you are trying to give Ajith the image of a mean plutomaniac who stops at nothing while trying to loot the money. That doesn’t mean he must sport a glass or cigarette every other scene. Or mouth foul words in the second half of the movie, for that matter. What is the point in censoring only a part of a bad word when the other part is audible? If I hear a(ny) part of the bad word, I know the word.

What the *beep* happened to me in the second half? 

     Killing off characters in tamil cinema is the easiest of things. Murders are done in public and the killers never really care. Ingeyum apdi thaan. Lakshmi Rai kills a guy in a resort and she doesn’t even care to fix a silencer on her pistol. But the twist is that no one actually hears the pistol noise and Lakshmi Rai and Premji are happily mouthing punch dialogues. Goyyale, evanaavadhu vaanga da !!

     Coming to the positives of the movie, Ajith and Arjun are on the top. It is so heartening to see Thala as the baddie cop, sporting a paunch and grey hair. He is no Robin Hood and steals the money only for the sheer pleasure of it. He is simply mean and menancing and people are sure to love it. Hats off Director sir, for breaking some norms that had been strictly followed in tamil cinema. Where else can you see a mass hero like Ajith getting slapped by a little known actor (Vaibhav Reddy, you slapped Thala twice in the movie!). As for Arjun, I would like to quote a dialogue from the movie. “ACTION KING !  I’m impressed. Gimme more !!”

      The next on the list is Yuvan Shankar Raja and his music. Pinnitteenga Boss. Awesome work. Songs are really a treat for Thala fans. Also, the story deserves a special mention. It gives equal importance to every small character, however mokka the character may be. This is no one-man show and that works as a plus. Kudos to the team. This movie is surely a bang for your bucks. Sit back and enjoy Thala 50.

Congratulations Thala for completing 50 movies. Give us more.

Rating: 3.5/5