Movie Review : Meiyazhagan
Arulmozhi Varman ( Arvibd Swamy) now lives in Chennai with his parents (Jayaprakash, Sriranjini) and his wife (Devadarshini) and teenage daughter, after having left their native town 22 years ago for to a monetary dispute. Now, after 2 decades, Arulmozhi returns to his much-loved hometown, for the wedding of Bhuvana, the only cousin he kept in touch with. Unable to bear the flood of memories he is deternined to give her his gift and return by the night bus.
But once there, things don't go according to plan. The reason, is his meeting with a lovable, cheerful stranger ( Karthi) who everyone knows and who pours his affection onto him, flooding him with nostalgic memories. But there is a problem. Arulmozhi is unable to recollect any memory of this stranger and circumstances are such that he never gets to know his name.
Who is this man? How does this meeting affect Arulmozhi and change the course of his life?
Much like director Premkumar's iconic 96, this film too takes its time and takes us into the lives and innermost feelings of its two principle characters. As the story unravels, scene by scene, and a flood of memories fill the characters, the viewer is left teary eyed and smiling all at the same time, thanks to the heartwarming screenplay, dialogues, performances and music, all bound together by superbly crafted visuals that draw you into the warmth of the small town and the lives of the film's characters, making you feel you are somehow a part of it all, watching from a small distance.
Full of soul-stirring moments like the heartfelt conversations in Karthi's backyard, the rousing Jaliikattu scenes, the jovial repartee among relatives at the wedding venue, the emotional moments between Bhuvana and Arulmozhi, the chirpy , non-stop yet delightful narrations by Karthi, that draw in Arulmozhi and slowly but surely draw out latent emotions within him till a floodgate opens up, that lead up to a heartwarming climax.
The mainstay of the film is the organically natural and most impressive performances of Karthi and Arvind Swamy. Its tough to imagine anyone else pulling this off, after watching the duo together. Cheerful naive, kindhearted and yet so profound, Karthi brings his character to life in a career best performance. Funny, annoying at times, chirpy, heartwarming and even teary eyed at others, this performance lingers long after in memory.
Arvind Swamy is the perfect counterpart and delivers a fantastic performance that brings out the angst of a man carrying a decades old baggage. The transformation he undergoes in the company of this stranger, is superbly brought out by Arvind, displaying his vulnerability, his sheer delight as he delves into happier memories and slow journey towards self-discovery that lighten his burden bit by bit.
A superb supporting cast and Govind Vasantha's soulful melodies are pillars of support. Another highlight is the use of silence with Govind Vasantha's minimal bgm and long silences, that actually help us enjoy and soak in the stirring moments of the film. In this age of loud bgm that drown out the dialogues and steer you towards emotions you're supposed to feel, this comes as a breath of fresh air.
On the flip side,some scenes are lengthy like the throwback intro scenes of when the family leaves the town, meandering conversations between the lead duo, the long informative discussion about history and culture which somehow doesnt seem to fit organically into the screenplay. Sridivya fits her part perfectly in a delightful cameo but does not have much else to do. The scenes on stage between Bhuvana and Arulmozhi, though highly emotional, seem stretched.
Overall, Meiyazhagan, with its heartwarming and delightfully entertaining moments, majestic, engaging and impressive performances that tug at the heartstrings, a host of simple life lesson moments, that leave you with a relatable and feel good vibe, full of suspense, drama, is an emotional roller coaster of an entertainer that will warm your hearts, lighten the mood, get you chuckling, and leave you misty-eyed all at once. Go for it !
Rating 4/5
