Mudhalvan

You all may find this review to be a little exaggerated but that is exactly the truth. Nothing but the truth. I have to say, till this date, except for a few exceptions like the movies by Shyam Benegal or Satyajit Ray or for that matter, Satya and Khamoshi, Sholay, Angoor and a few others, I haven't seen such a DIFFERENT and THOUGHT PROVOKING, PRAISE INVOKING AND MARVELLOUS movie as Mudhalvan.

It is and will remain an eye-opener for all those in the Indian film industry who have been experimenting with the same love formula umpteen number of times and in effect, producing some of the most sensationally boring love stories of all times (Example: Kaho..Naa Pyar Hai). Hitting us like a bullet, the plot moves swiftly, never leaving any time to think. The story and screenplay, by Shankar himself, deserve mention for being creative, complete and utterly enjoyable to watch.

Shankar deserved an award for making this movie with such style and technique, while also keeping the story and other aspects in mind.

Pros. Award winning direction, dialogues, script, music, background music, cinematography, first-rate performances by Arjun, Manivannan, Raghuvaran and above all, the super climax, and excellent song picturization.

Cons. Manisha, who looks too flabby and old in some scenes

If I had'nt seen this movie before seeing the same director's Indian/Hindustani which had released 3 years earlier, I may not have been so very impressed. While Mudhalvan represents an excellent movie by itself, the director had already produced a movie which was simply much bigger and better, earlier, which thus takes expectations a bit higher.

One of the subjects handled in Mudhalvan, namely caste-based politics and vote banks, is very important. If it were'nt for the running time, I think that the same subject should have been explored further. I also did'nt appreciate Arjun in the movie, reducing the caste nos to 4, instead of eliminating caste based reservation in totality? I guess caste based politics have a hand even in movies. See some vijaykanth movies if you want more on that subject.

This movie is without a shadow of a doubt, Arjun's best performance in his career. While it may not be Shankar's best, it is again without doubt, one of Shankar's better movies and a must watch.

One of the earlier Shankar thrillers and also one of his better ones. This movie is under-rated on IMDb. The popularity of this movie is reflected by the fact that it forms the basis for Shankar's latest movie, Anniyan, which isn't nearly as good as Mudhalvan. Not only is the movie thought provoking but also sheer fun to experience. Thats how all movies should be and thats what makes Shankar so special. Even though Raghuveran is a familiar face, he plays his role as the villain very convincingly. Manisha was however, pretty pointless and added just for the sake of having a romantic angle in the film. Arjun is the only actor whom Shankar has cast two times and this is without doubt, his best movie and performance ever besides gentleman. Each of Shankar's movies usually has a unique hero or first timer.

Needless to say this is one of shankar's magnum opus back in the days at the dawn of the millenium. a thought provoking innovative storyline that deserves lot of praise and credit. The technical values production and music by AR Rahman are simply one of the best. down south.

One of the highlights is the sharp 35mm cinematography by KV anand at its finest follows a creative ad style nuance with quick cuts and zoom in effects. The story screenplay follows continuously throughout the film keeping u at the edge of the seat. AR Rahman's music needs no mention here as again the maestro has given us his finest tunes.The real star of the film was veteran Raghuvaran who played the corrupt politician role in a perfect manner. All the other subcasts did justice to their roles. Anyone will be truly amazed by the ending climax scene and what it meant to the protagonists.A truly trendsetter movie.

The movie has its usual cinematic moments. But, the message comes from the heartfelt anguish. The happenings in the country currently attest to this fact and instead of just pointing out the problems, this attempts to point out some of the solutions as well. Very commendable.