Masss

Sometimes keeping very low expectations can result in a satisfactory experience.This was the case with Nadippin Nayagan's latest outing 'Mass' that somehow managed to provide 150 minutes of decent entertainment in contrary to numerous negative comments from Keralites,in particular.

After a mediocre diet 'Biriyani',Venkat Prabhu has tried his luck in presenting a light-hearted fantasy thriller without much importance as far as the storyline is concerned.The done-to-death storyline being similar to numerous films in the past such as Hum Tum Aur Ghost,Ayushkalam & The Frighteners to name a few,the saving grace here was the skill that Venkat showed in handling the weak screenplay and making it a decent commercial entertainer that can cater to both the fans of the actor as well as the normal audience including families.

The first 30-40 minutes of the movie was dull with the storyline stuck at the starting point itself.After then,the movie gained some momentum and offered a good number of sequences to laugh and enjoy with the combination sequences involving Premji Amaren and Suriya being the major highlight.The sentimental sequences featuring the ghosts and the 'Piravi' song were heart-touching and presented very well.

The visuals effects were really pathetic and could have been dealt better considering the budget of the film and the industry standards of today.Poor logic harms a smooth experience many a times which could have been easily avoided by due care while scripting.

The idea to use instances reminding various hit films in the recent past came out really well on screen.The Engeyum Epothum sequence,Mankatha dialogs,Varanam Aayiram sequence,Kathi Bgm etc were all well-received and packed impressively by Venkat.

Coming to the performances,Suriya did a commendable job portraying the character invested on him really well.Premji Amaren was impressive and as usual excelled with his comic timing and one-liners.Nayan Thara was side-lined without much to perform.Amomng others Parthipan,Riyas Khan,Sriman,Pranitha etc were good.

Music and Background score by Yuvan Shankar Raja was good with "Naan Aval Illai" and "Piravi" being the picks from the album.The title song was energetic and picturised well with Suriya's energetic dance steps."Poochandi" song could have been avoided for gaining more pace.Cinematogrpahy by Rajasekhar and Editing by Praveen K.L were okayish.

Overall,Masss is a one-time watch with a clichéd storyline that's been seen many a times before.

Verdict::Venkat Prabhu's latest presentation "Masss" is a strictly average fantasy thriller that may turn a satisfactory watch if you go with less expectations.Execting much more from Venkat on his next Game/Diet/Sixer!!! Ma Rating::6/10 _Afsal

Every time Venkat Prabhu's movie hits the theatres the expectation is to see variety with a bash of youthful energy, and the ace director this time has adopted the most successful genre in the recent times- horror comedy. Both stars Venkat Prabhu and Suriya have been aching to get back to the business after Anjaan bombed at BO and Massu seems to have laid the road, let's dig in and see what's spooky about it.

Plot:

Horror Comedy is quite an interesting concept and now it's not far away from being deemed as "Done and dusted", well here is VP with a new trick up his sleeve. Considering the genre of the movie, the lesser you know its better. The movie kicks off with Suriya and Premji two bonded-for- life amigos, who thrive on petty robberies. A song, action and a pot boiling chase stops at an accident after which Suriya is bestowed with a super natural power of seeing dead people. Why, what and how he deals with the power is to watch and relish.

Suriya and Premji set the pace of movie with light hearted comedy amidst spooky super natural elements in a rather interesting way. A horror movie is never complete without a flashback and a strong backstory. In 'Massu' you do see them after a series of VP's usual topsy turvy twists. When we say Horror, there is a big expectation of a scary road down the lane with some thrills and fear, Masss is more of a "Dealing with spirit's and their emotions" kind of movie and would be a long shot to put it in Horror genre. The first half is about how Suriya blends with his character of Massilamani the Masss, accepts his fear factor and channelize it to make it a living out of it. Once the core plot starts unveiling, the later part of second half does become very predictable and the screenplay chugs along with just the entertainment quotient to make it a fair play.

The "other" Suriya is a surprise element and VP touches the character with a Sri Lankan Tamil flavor and kudos to Suriya for pulling it rather brilliantly with the help of Rajasekar's perfect cinematography, not to forget the CGI effects through the movie giving life to the spirits. Nayanthara and Praneetha are the two leading ladies in 'Massu' and they have little to offer to the script and merely play love bugs.

VP's movies are always rich in casting, an ensemble cast of biggies, and a few cameos are his signature style. In Masss while Arvind, Jai, Vijay Vasanth appear in a cameo, two other important stars Parthiban and Samuthrakani add their star value. Both of them have meaty roles as a policeman and a politician, good or bad? Well watch and find out.

Things that stand out:

Suriya's characterization as Masss the hero and as a Srilankan Tamilian is commendable, as with all of VP's movies, he brings out the best out of his heroes. Suriya's dialogue delivery and screen presence catapults the movie forward. To quote a scene, the one in which Suriya feels for his friend Premji in front of Nayanthara is hilarious. VP has been stereotyped as the director who loves party hard movies, a bit of adult humor and all that but in Masss he has steered clear of those elements and has given a wholesome family entertainer with an interesting storyline for the summer. As much as we ridicule Premji's antics we cannot but admire him here for his timely tickles and his funny body language, which make a definite impact in Masss. Yuvan's music is certainly not the best, but the Poochandi and the BGM in the revenge sequences are a definite treat. The Poochandi song starts off in MJ's thriller style and then moves in good spirit, you really have to applaud VP for placing the song at the perfect juncture of the movie. A Special mention to stunt master Silva in the first half, for the car chase and fights made up for the action ingredients required for the commercial flick.

Things that could have been better:

The film is spanned around 155 minutes, but it's those predictable scenes that make the sequences look even longer than reality. The Editing work in the first half is crisp especially with the one liners and comedy scenes not dragging, but loses steam in the second opening doors for improvement. VP's known for his signature style delivery of his intended storyline, Masss however is little less on the funny quotient and rather relies and thrives heavily on Suriya's super strength and mass factor. As with most of VP's movies the heroines don't have much of a part and a mature actress like Nayanthara could have been used better.

Verdict : In all, the movie is a good watch for this late summer to quench your thirst with laughs and occasional surprises.

Suriya and Venkat Prabhu merge in this sort of spooky tale of twists, now both of them needing a proper hit at the BO. Venkat and co announces that there won't be an 'item' number with a scantily clad chick like his previous films.Shortly after that, 'Masss' gets granted an 'U' certificate, you wonder if the director had compensated anything script wise to bring in the family audiences flocking. Songs also seem alright ,almost situational, giving fans and cinema goers unrest on whether this could be one of those experimental movies.

Venkat and team answers all doubts and critics in a such a fashion, commercial directors might have started taking notes. Suriya being the refined actor he is, takes center stage acting his heart out on screen. Turning 40 this year, it doesn't add up to his youthful looks and brilliant physique. Suriya's acting prowess seems second to none as he single-handedly holds the film playing a dual role one a grifter and another unexpected surprise role. 200% effort from Suriya, explains why himself and Vikram chase concept driven scripts, they are the only ones ready to put so much effort into one film.

Yuvan Shankar Raja also nails big time on the background score whether its the feet tapping 'Conman theme' or the darker, thrilling theme. With the film having some emotional content and sentiments, Yuvan adds some magic touches to compliment them. Songs are quite satisfying on the whole with the added visuals.

Speaking of the visuals, R.D. Rajasekhar proves to be the second hero behind the camera with extraordinary lighting and angles for an Indian film. He just might pick up a couple of awards for his contribution.Aiding the camera-work is the nicely done sets by art director Rajeevan, in the opening song as well as in the MJ tribute number.

The screenplay presented by the director is pretty new to Indian audience and will be the highlight as Masss is cut almost inch perfect by editor Praveen, serving the right amounts of the action and drama. The movie runs seamlessly from the turning point to interval,pre- climax and the simple ending. Despite that the flashback could have been shorter, as they slowed down Venkat's good narration.

Comical add ons by Premji and Sriman, Karunas and Rajendran will be much appreciated as they are subtle and effective. Premji also comes up with perhaps his best act on screen. Heroine roles in a VP movie always are justified but short and cameo orientated. Nayanthara and Pranitha both are gorgeous looking and pushed astray by Suriya's one man army of a a show. Perhaps the director might give more screen time to heroines in his future scripts.

Masss is a sure treat for fans of all ages, expect kids to fill up seats in the cinema hall this summer. A rare occasion when a big star's film is out. Clean, well cut, exciting twists, zero hip shaking glamor, kid friendly almost masterpiece. Masss , the 3 S's for; story,screenplay and Suriya. ( 3.75/5 )

Genre: suspense/horror/action

Story: A conman(suriya) finds that he can see spirits after so close to death in an accident.He uses this power to get money .Finally there comes a plot twist and it makes as revenge drama.why and how is to be watched on big screen.

Performances: Suriya steals the show.. Tried and succeeded at mannerism for a suspense role and dialogue delivery is near perfect.Rest of the cast has nothing much to do. Premji didn't annoy with his dialogues this time and does a decent comedy liners.Parthiban had some witty comic one liners as well.

Technicalities: First thing to praise is background score BGM was awesome and yuvan have done it yet again after anjaan.RD Rajasekar has worked some magic to portray suriya as stylish and done wonders in visuals.Editing was near perfect as well. making was decent enough and songs were adequate enough and nothing extra ordinary.

Verdict: hit or miss?

Former suits best for the film.

I truly don't know what is the original title. 'Mass' or 'Masss' or 'Massu' or 'Massu Engira Masalimani'. Since 'Mangatha' I haven't seen any Venkat Prabhu's films. He has lost his midas touch. His films are used to be youthful and fun, but not anymore. This was a different than his usual theme, but did not deliver. Particularly, I hated the graphics. Those CGI characters ruined the film in the initial part, I thought it was a very cheap thing I ever seen in a big production film. The action sequences were so stupid as well. The comedies were okay, but still it had lots of references of old films. So you can't enjoy them if you are not familiar with the original.

Surya is a very dedicated actor that you would find in Kollywood today, but the filmmakers are not using that properly. Compared to any other actors, he does many varieties of films. I watched it only for him and nothing else. I appreciate the experimental theme, but they did not get a better screenplay. The storyline looked decent, especially the flashback, but did not develop well. Like what the title hints, it was too much mass which suits better for Tollywood fans. Might be Surya fans or Venkat's would like it, sadly I'm not one. Surely you will have some laughs, other than that this is not good. So skipping it is not a bad option.

3/10