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Funny side up -- Marudhamalai
nothing novel From Marudhamalai
The ‘action king’ is at it again in Oscar Films (P) Ltd.’s Marudhamalai (U). Age just doesn’t seem to catch up with Arjun, who looks younger and trimmer with every film. The macho image is intact. Action co
mbines with comedy in sufficient measure, providing much to laugh about and thrills with daring stunts. Don’t expect novelty in Vadivelu’s delineation of a foolish policeman. Nevertheless, his bravado is enjoyable.
Arjun makes a foray into the humour arena in the first half, and the two offer some rib-tickling moments. For a change, the hero doesn’t begin as a super cop. He is made to stand guard at the entrance to the police station. Vadivelu plays his boss! However, things soon change. They have to, if the hero has to prove his mettle in action. It is a revelation to watch Arjun’s adeptness in comedy.
Story-wise too, the film is hardly novel. But writer-director Suraaj’s screenplay makes matters quite interesting, though Maasi’s 15-day stint in jail seems to go on and on — his growls from the cell translate into revenge, but rather late.
Heroine Nila is bubbly to a certain extent; sensibly, this time, she hides the flab on her midriff. But serving no purpose, even on a visual plane is Charanpreet. What exactly is she supposed to be doing? The second duet only hampers the pace of the film. Why does Arjun feel the need for two heroines, leave alone a jig with the item girl? (Here, it’s Mumaith Khan.) The avaricious Puli’s (‘Kadhal’ Dandapani) unexpected end makes an impact because villains in our films are generally thick-skinned.
Marudhamalai (Arjun), a policeman, rubs bad man Maasi (Lal) on the wrong side and the resultant feud worsens when Marudhamalai’s father becomes a victim in the crossfire. As always, Arjun excels in action and credit goes to both ‘Powerfast’ and Al Ameen who have choreographed it. Among the other technicians, cinematography (Vaithi and U. K. Senthil Kumar) deserves mention.
Suraaj’s scoring points include comedy and dialogue. Having said that, the film is only a cheerful version of the recent Kireedam. Like Ajit in the latter, Arjun joins the police force because his dad wants him to, and both the fathers are in the police department themselves. The similarities between Kireedam and Marudhamalai don’t end here.
Marudhamalai
Genre Action
Director Suraaj
Cast Arjun, Vadivelu, Nila, Nasser
Storyline The clichéd line of a straightforward policeman and a villain.
Bottomline Arjun’s stunts and Vadivelu’s shenanigans are pluses.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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