| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
| Manjal
Veyil Movie Review |
|
| Review
by : Behindwoods review board |
|
Starring:
Prasanna,
Sandhya, Bala, M S Baskar, Nizhalgal
Ravi
Direction:
Vaseegaran
Music:
Bharadwaj
Production:
Hasini Cinemas |
|
Friendship
or love, which is more valuable?
The age old debate on ‘natpu’
and ‘kadhal’ comes
to the fore once again in Vaseegaran’s
Manjal Veyil. Love and friendship
are two subjects that can never
lose freshness or appeal, so
the maker has not run a big
risk by taking on a subject
that has been tried many times
before. The director had claimed
that originality would be the
USP of Manjal Veyil. The question
is whether he has lived up to
his word.
Prasanna and Sandhya have been
the best of friends since their
childhood. They are still the
best of friends in college;
each of them would do just about
anything for the other. So,
are they in love or are they
not? The depth of their friendship
appears like love to most of
their college mates. But time
proves that friendship can sometimes
be more valued than romance,
as Prasanna firmly stands by
his friendship with Sandhya
rather than any other emotion.
Well, there is no love between
the pair, as Prasanna insists.
So, where does the story go
from here? There enters the
third character in the form
of Bala, seen after a
|
|
|
|
|
long time on the Tamil screen. How does
he change the course of the lives of Prasanna
and Sandhya? Love does happen but friendship
does not lose. In fact, the movie ends with
friendship on top (if you are interested
in a debate) after a lot of travails and
a great sacrifice. But, the love here doesn’t
appear strong, it fails to evoke emotions.
If you think that this type of a tale can
interest you, then you can watch Manjal
Vayil in theaters to find out who is the
good friend and the lover.
As said earlier, friendship and love are
themes that never lose their appeal, but
Vaseegaran has staggered with the screenplay
and execution. The narration has no clear
direction, there is a flashback, and a flashback
within the flashback that takes out whatever
little tempo the movie tries to gather.
Then there is unusual entity in this love-friendship
tale, the villain. Normally, such movies
have only destiny and fate playing villains,
but the director has decided to insert a
character instead. It is completely extraneous
for the best part of movie, until the last
few frames where he has some part to play.
The college setting in the first half has
some lively moments where the mobile phone
is used as the center of some amusing encounters
between M.S. Bhaskar and his students. But,
many other scenes fall short of the mark.
Prasanna moves through the role without
much fuss, but there is nothing special
either. Sometimes one gets the feeling that
this is not his kind of role. Sandhya looks
less than convincing, smiling artificially
at times. R.K (Ellam Avan Seyal fame) as
the villain is a casting mistake. He hardly
fits into the character as Sandhya’s
suitor and his make up is tardy to say the
least. M.S. Bhaskar has his moments on screen
but his track seems strangely blunted and
disjointed after a point. The real surprise
packet however is Bala. Coming back to Tamil
after a couple of years and a few films
in Malayalam, he has done a credible job.
A tale of romance and friendship should
have some good music, but Bhardwaj’s
scores are a complete let down. There is
nothing else that can be said about the
technical side of things.
Manjal Veyil is about friendship and love,
but it is hard to fall in love with this
movie. There are too many pitfalls, enough
to negate the universal appeal of the subject.
Vaseegaran could have come up with a more
pleasing account of two of the most wonderful
emotions.
Verdict:
Confused account of emotions
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
