Mersal

I went to this film after a colleague recommended it. I'll be frank I wasn't fond of the really random dance sequences (as an American they're a bit too random for me, though Mr. Vijay can dance really well) but the film got those out of the way early. I was told a couple things about this film before going in- it is a huge "mass masala" so it fuses many different genres together. And that the actor, Vijay, is an enormous superstar in the Tamil state who the people really adore. As soon as the film started, the audience whistled and cheered at just his name appearing on the screen! And then when he first appears in the film, the audience was overjoyed and so many cheers, I've never been among a crowd like that. It's crazy I hadn't seen a film by Vijay yet but I got chills seeing how much the audience loved him. And throughout the film, it was too easy to see why: spectacular performances as 3 different people, and he nailed them all. Especially the village role, was a terrific and moving performance, he has a huge screen presence and powerful flair about him. I've noticed that the Indian superstars are really a class apart in this, I can see these select few are at that level due to these certain intangibles that have won over the audience, its an trait I don't see in even the biggest of Hollywood actors. Anyway about the actual film's story, the beginning had more comedic elements, I didn't understand some of the jokes, but that's okay because there is tons more to this film. I felt the first female character was completely unnecessary and the second one was acceptable but also not needed. The third actress, however, was GREAT! Nithya Mennon is her name, she and Vijay in the second half brought tears to my eyes repeatedly, I didn't expect to be so moved! I had similar reactions to some really heart-wrenching scenes in the first half as well, the film had lots of emotional power at its core. The film was unique to me in that Vijay's characters stood up so strongly against corruption, malpractices and deception by the medical industry, especially against the poor people- the people who need it the most but end up also losing the most in these scenarios. A new subject for me, handled so well. I'm not aware of what the medical policies for patients in India are like, do people always pay before the treatment or is that just certain types of hospitals? Some questions I would just ask my colleagues on Monday. Another thing was when Vijay's characters said certain dialogues, the crowd cheered and clapped a lot, especially during his speech scenes where he criticizes many injustices in front of large crowds in the film. Not only did the crowd in the film cheer strongly, so did my audience! It was as if I was in the film. And the action!! It was tremendous, lots of intense fight scenes with nice use of wire-work. Every hit by Mr. Vijay felt powerful with lots of emotions to it: these aren't your normal "beat up the bad guys because they're against you" fight scenes but rather they felt like a man who has had to go through so much emotional pain that every punch and kick roared of justice. And wow was the crowd happy and loud during these fights! Wonderful experience really, I laughed, cried and was also really fired up during the film. I'm interested to watch more of Vijay's films now and I will definitely anticipate when his next film releases.

wow just wow .. even though the story is predictable the presentation of the movie is marvelous. the whole movie is carried out till the end by Vijay. and all the other cast members done their job very well. now DOP i heard its an Debutant but the scenes gave visual treat.Asusual Rahman sir never lets us down. i can see Hardwork and dedication of Atlee and Vijay at their best.i felt that this is the best movie of Vijay's career.

Watched Mersal on First Day !! Ignoring some logical loopholes and the film's length, the film is surely one of the best mass masala entertainer from Vijay and Kollywood in recent times.

Pros: Performances b all characters,Characterization for each and everyone,Cinematography,Action Sequences,Emotional dialogues, Climax,Screenplay(maintained a slow but nice pace),Social Messages,Music and Editing.

Cons: Length and Loopholes

3 hours is a bit too much for any film.There are some logical loopholes but the best part about them is, you will only realize their existence after the film ends.

Cinematography is colorful(giving the tone for the film)and each frame is crystal-clear.It is done by GK.Vishnu.He makes his debut via Mersal.Action Sequences are very good, which includes magic tricks.They are interesting to watch.ARR songs are the best and the BGM is divine at times, esp. emotional scenes . Performances are very good, especially Vijay, Nithya Menen and Kaali Venkat's performances are very good. Kaali Venkat once again proves that he can also do character roles.Social messages in this film are very relevant to the current state of India.They also raise awareness about medical corruption in India.

Final note: Though the film's story is old,it's presentation makes it a treat to watch.TREAT A REAL TREAT TO WATCH !!!!!!

Vijay's recent films a mixed bag, with a lot of good ones and a lot of extremely bad ones, but Mersal might stand out from this crowd as being almost entirely different from what he usually plays.

From his beautiful portrayal of the three roles that he suits up to his astounding screen presence, Vijay is a sure bet in any film. From a simple Farmer to a Magician, Vijay essays all his characters in style. AR Rahmaan's music was good, considering that he is one of the finest music directors in India, it's a kind of a let down for him. All the Heroines( Kajal, Samantha and Nithya ) essayed their roles perfectly, with almost no attachment that we feel to each character (pun intended). All the other roles were superbly done, especially by Sathyaraj and Kovai Sarala.

The Cinematography By GK Vishnu was not up to par, considering that Atlee usually pairs up with George C. Williams in the matter of cinematography. George knows how Atlee wants his film to be, where Vishnu fails miserable. Although he was able to scrap up a decent Masala-type atmosphere in every shot.

Vijayendra Prasad's story might have been the main attraction, considering that he wrote Baahubali, VP's script was lacking the need to explore different concepts, one thing he might have missed out. In a nutshell, the story is quite OK, just not into it.

From a seemingly OK 1st Half, the film stretches into a great Mass masala film. SJ Surya has done a exemplar job as the villain, providing Nail biting dialogues as well as a terrific job of acting out the ' Villain ' Scenes.

In short, Mersal is nothing more of a Mass Masala Flick ; the type that every Tamilian might have seen before.

Watch it for the Mass And Not For The Content.

My rating - 7.1 / 10

I went in for the USA Premiere Show (FDFS) For The Much-Awaited Action Entertainer MERSAL. Oh god, the crowd was unbelievable! Everyone was set for a Diwali Treat:)

Firstly, the screen presence of THALAPATHY VIJAY, was absolutely amazing, for sure Vijay steals the show right from the title-card to the ending of the movie.

His Triple Role : Farmer, Doctor, Magician were all new get ups for Vijay and has he done well with these characters? 100% YES! Right From The "Mersal Arasan" To The Flashback Sequences Of The Leader Farmer, Thalapathy excels!

As Usual, he excels in his romance, dance, comedy and attitudes throughout the film which keep the audience entertained in each way.

The Story by Baahubali Writer "Vijayendra Prasad" was quite different even though it had some elements of an action Marsala film but Atlee's direction of the film keep it unique.

AR Rahman's BGM is merattal masss! He proves his Oscar winning award in Mersal, songs such as Aalaporaan Thamizhan and Neethanae bring out the audience a real taste of Mersal!

SJ Surya as a villain plays his role neatly (look out for his dialogues/scenes in the second half) a perfect suit for the movie - Stylish.

Also, actors such as Vadivelu and Sathyaraj stand out not just for their comedy but for their highly rated emotional scenes which Atlee narrates well. Vadivelu fanatics will leave the cinema with smiles on their faces:)

Heroines play their role superbly in each of Vijays Characters and so do other actors such as Sathyan, Kovai Sarala, Vikram Vedha's "Cheta" etc.

GK Vishnu has fantastic cinematography for a debut, thanks to Atlee for giving him an opportunity to see how perfectly he can do his job! Visuals in Aalaporaan Thamizhan and Many of the magician scenes excel, thalapathy is captured spot on!

Ruben the editor has done his job well, with neat cuts and editing to keep the movie at a smooth pace.

What can I say, a pure Thalapathy Vijay entertainer with high emotional/ mass scenes which will impress the audience of all type. A film for thamizhans to enjoy, so worth the wait? TOTALLY YES, go grab your tickets and have a great Diwali ahead!

9/10