Selvaraghavan has been missing for a
while on the direction front, so well here is Maalai Nerathu Mayakam a
story from the director which was stuck in limbo for a while only to be
revived and directed by his wife Geetanjali. Known for portraying
realistic and no nonsense side of the usually stereotyped romance, the
movie is about two contrasting individuals who get stuck in the web of
marriage. With a shoestring budget the director-storyteller both try to
get into the minds of a trouble couple who sit at opposite poles and
what happens to their marriage forms the plot.
One look at the hero and it would be
easy to ascertain that the hero is straight out of Selvaraghavan’s
bible, for he sports neatly combed haircut, large rimmed glasses, and a
trimmed beard, tucked in full hand shirt and yes most importantly the
lost and weirdo look. Though stereotyped it may be, somehow the script
is designed in such a way to suit the freakish looks of the hero and
here is Balakrishna who comes as a guy who is spoon-fed by his father
all his life and into marriage too. Wamiqa Gabbi as Manoja comes as a
modern day girl, broadminded with little fun in her personal life.
Failure in love, Mother’s ailing sickness leads her into a wedlock that
she repents agreeing to, with two opposite poles and an interesting
storyline the movie is entirely poised until dialogues, narration and
screenplay spoils the fun.
Characterization has always been one
of Selva’s biggest assets, however in MNM after a quick intro of
Balakrishna and Wamiqa the director brings them into the chaotic
marriage situation and then takes time to build their characters and
their history. Instead of turning too much negativity, there are too
many lighter parts in the movie that makes us smile, the innocent and
naïve comments of a husband who reaches out in vain to his wife is
something to look out for. The director makes us wait for the reasoning
behind Balakrishna’s nerd looks, something if showed earlier would have
make sense. Likewise the heroine too looks sober and irritated with a
sense of anger all through the movie, as again enough reasoning to
justify her character’s appearance is missing.
The movie completely revolves around
these two, big time credits to these freshers for taking the script and
completely fitting into the characters. Balakrishna as a desperate guy
who aches for his wife’s love, torments her to win back his love and the
courtroom scene is a good example of the actor’s capabilities. Wamiqa
on the other hand is spot on when it comes to every single aspect, she
fits the role of a generation x girl who takes it hard to digest that
she is tricked into marrying a simple guy. The realistic display of
these two probably is the biggest strength of the movie which has a hard
time trying to bring the storyteller’s intention into screenplay.
The narration tests your patience by
repetitive scenes of the hero trying to woo his wife, though realistic
it maybe, the screenplay is far too stretched with such sequences to
make the movie appear lengthier than it is. As with portraying realistic
conversations between the couple there are some sequences involving
Wamiqa and her mother that look quite dramatic, similarly through the
climax which could have edited differently. Selva has never shied away
from adult content if the script demands; MNM is no different with
occasional jokes and sequences. With only two major characters,
Sridhar’s camera work is limited within four walls and does a neat job.
Music from newbie Amrit is clean from clichés; the BGM is simply sweet
leaving apt silences before taking notes during sensitive sequences.
