Muthal Mariyathai

I just finished viewing this movie and Iam all praises for this one. A great actor and a great director get together and the rest is history.

The movie is all about a middle aged man and a young beautiful girl, set in a village, and the romance that blossoms between them. This leads to trouble as the elderly man, played by Sivaji, is a big wig in the village and he is already married though unhappily. He carries a dark secret in his bosom which is revealed at the end of the movie.

The songs are great, set to folk tunes, the direction is excellent sensitive and portrays human emotions beautifully. The natural locales are very pleasing to the eyes. Kudos to the Raja duo - Bharathiraja and Ilayaraja. Now coming to the acting part and that is the essence of this movie. Sivaji carries this movie solely on his able shoulders. His acting makes up at least seven stars of the total ten. As to the criticism leveled against him that he "overacts", this movie is a smashing rebuttal. The adage that you are capable of 'overacting' only if you are capable of acting, is proved by his movie. Sivaji's histrionics are controlled and measured. Every scene explodes with his brilliance. No words to describe his talent. He arguably is India's greatest actor . This movie is a proof of the fact that how a great actor like Sivaji in the hands of a great director like Barathiraja can make movie-magic. The storyline is quite unique for its times, though there are some distracting sub plots. This is inevitable especially in those days where the director is forced to keep an eye on the box office jingle.

To summarize a great movie worth watching at least thrice !

If you are the one after great movies, this one is one of the best from Tamil.

I was in class 7 when this got released. Though I have watched it couple of times, watching this again today, I can only say that it is a magic from the trio Bharatiraja, Ilayaraja & Vairamuthu.

The story, acting by Shivaji & Radha is beyond words. Shivaji did not get many such roles to show his acting versatility. His acting in the deathbed when Radha is within the hut is one example. Radha had proved that she is equally talented.

If this a similar story is from Hollywood, it would have possibly got few awards. Pity that the reach on Indian/Tamil movies is very limited..

I first saw this movie when I was 7 or 8 years old. But had a chance to see this movie couple of times later in DD during Sunday Regional movies. This is one of the rare Indian films which makes you to watch again and again. Though I was not a big fan of Shivaji since I belonged to a different generation :) but the way he acted in this movie and how he had handled the delicate role made me take notice of his wonderful acting skills. And could understand why he is know as the King of Acting. The story & scenes were simple as it was village love story but with a different dimension. This is one of the best movies of the noted director Bharthyiraja. Finally this is one of the classic films of Tamil Film Industry and could probably say the director of Chenikum should have watched this movie 100 times before making his masterpiece.

This movie is a diamond in the hat of Indian Cinema. Music director Ilayaraja has done phenomenal work and his music composed in Tamil folk song style will transverse through your heart. The scenes shot in Talakadu, Mysore by epic director Bharathiraja will take you through the realistic life and scenery of village. Further, the acting by 'Nadigar Thilagam' Shivaji was equally challenged by his counterpart ' Radha' with her powerful eyes. The director has taken a very delicate subject showing the love between Village head old man and an young women who belonged to the so called lower caste. Vairamuthu's vaira lyrics and the dialects by Vadivukkarasi are amazingly beautiful.

Please watch this movie.

How can one even begin to describe this gem of a movie? For those who don't know Chevalier Shivaji Ganesan, he is the greatest Tamil actor and one of the greatest actors ever born. He, of course, didn't belong to the school of method acting and comes from a stage background and hence often his performances have been termed over the top (in many cases it is true as well). However, he is an actor who is possibly one of the very best to learn from. I have heard that his films are used in teaching acting in schools.

By the time this movie was made, Shivaji was past 50 at least and had grown considerably in the lateral dimension ;) So it was a challenge to write roles for him that would do justice to his talents. After a long time, Muthal Mariyathai offered him a meaty role and boy did he deliver! He turned in such a restrained performance that this in itself deserves a lifetime achievement Oscar! To everyone's surprise, Radha, a young actress then, and Vadivukkarasi matched him frame to frame in their roles. The movie is about the life of a middle-age leader of a village where farming is life. Shivaji, unhappily married to Vadivukkarasi, rediscovers his life when he meets Radha. What follows is one of the most poignant, beautiful and restrained love story that is bound to move any viewer. There are a few subplots that are not always needed. But the movie is a testimony to some of the best performances of some of the best performers in Tamil film industry, including the best of all, Shivaji. Check it out if you can! It is a TOTAL MUST-SEE! 10 out of 10!