Manmadhan Ambu Review

When it comes to Kamal Haasan, even if it’s your routine masala flick, he infuses something different into it. And when he joins hands with K.S.Ravikumar, their films are sure to create a laugh riot. Add to the mix one of my favourites Madhavan, Miss Talk-of-the-town Trisha, and some rocking music by Devi Sriprasad and the fun is sure to be unlimited. I did have some apprehension think that it was a love story between Kamal Haasan and Trisha but the way Kamal and K.S.Ravikumar have depicted a concept of how honest people are in their relationship as the basis to Manmadhan Ambu cleared it all. So h  ere we go.

Scene: Airport. Actress Nisha aka Ambujakshi [Trisha] has planned a holiday on a cruise with her recently divorced friend Deepa [Sangeetha] and her two kids. Even with the picturesque views of Europe in front of her, Ambu's mind is preoccupied with the past. Flashback to Kodaikanal. Ambu is shooting a song with actor Suriya when her fiancé business tycoon Madhanagopal [Madhavan] comes on set with his parents [Usha Uthup and Kitty]. All is fine till Madhan mistakes a conference call between Suriya, his daughter [!!] and Ambu to be the two actors canoodling over the phone in broad daylight. Not wanting to make a scene, Madhan and Ambu go for a car ride where Madhan gives her a piece of his mind and before they realise, their argument consumes them so much that they have an accident with an oncoming vehicle. The two come out of it without any major damage but the same can’t be said for their relationship. Cut back to the present and we find out Madhan will not let go of Ambu all that easily. He enlists the assistance of Indian Army Officer Major Mannar to spy on Ambu while she is on her cruise. In return Madhan will pay for the treatment for Major's friend Rajan [Ramesh Arvind] who's in hospital with cancer. Seemingly a simple task, Major proceeds as directed and finds no secret lover or any other faults for that matter, with Ambu and reports this to Madhan. But instead of coming through with his side of the deal, Madhan backtracks, creating grief for Major as Rajan needs to be operated on urgently. Stepping aside from his honest and upright nature, Major tells a lie to save his friend. But as you all know, lies never come alone. What you witness from here is how that one lie will land Major in more trouble that he bargains for and to a truth that will change his life.

 

I know that Kamal Haasan needs no introduction and his acting skills are undeniable. But what I love about the way Kamal plays Major Mannar is that barring his intro scene, you won’t find him being over the top at all. Yes, it’s a comical situation with some odd turns but nothing that seems completely far-fetched like the climatic chase in Avvai Shanmughi or Panchathathiram. He is simple and honest without major dramatics. Dear Madhavan, welcome back to Tamil cinema. Oh how I have missed you! I have always had a firm belief that Madhavan has a flare for comedy that he has not exposed completely. The man is simply superb as the possessive fiancé [I personally think he deserves the "Best Drunken Act" Award and tweeted it to him too]. Trisha is by no means lagging behind the two in the film. I personally love the fact she dubbed for herself in the film and think why didn't producers/directors ask her to do it for her earlier projects. In fact, the sync sound worked enormously well with the entire cast. But, back to Trisha. She beautifully executes her love, frustration and turmoil and holds her ground next to the legendary actor. However, she has strong competition in the form of Sangeetha. Man, oh man do I love this woman. She has proved time and again that she is more than capable but I love her in this comedy avatar as Deepa, the stylish, rough-around-the-edges, street smart friend of Ambu. Kunjan and Manju Pillai as Mr and Mrs Kurup are hilarious as were the two little kiddies in the film. The usual suspects of Ramesh Arvind, Urvashi, and Sreeman do their bit as expected.

 

I have mentioned before that comedy is a serious business. Kamal Haasan has proven his comedic timing several times but this time he has tried his hand at 5 hats, Story-Screenplay-Dialogue-Lyric Writer and Actor. His trademark of comedy with a thought behind it to think about is evident. Even though the initial promos were confusing with Man Madhan Ambu shaped differently, the two reasons for it show that this is not just a normal love story, which it clearly isn’t. I love the way he has infuses emotion into a scene with his dialogue without making a caricature out it. And supporting him in a major way is K.S.Ravikumar. Making sure that the writing doesn’t get lost on celluloid, he makes the proceedings intriguing and easy to watch. But that doesn’t mean the film doesn’t have its sad moments. Watch the way he depicts the scenes between Kamal and Trisha where they talk about his wife. Manush Nandan has done a great job with his cinematography, showing Europe in spectacular form and it’s sure to boost the tourist counts. Editing by Shaan Mohammed is clean and crisp.

When it comes to Devi Sriprasad I am always a little two minded. Don’t get me wrong, I love his work so there is always excitement when he has projects like these. But there have a few occasions when his songs seem the same, quite the opposite of his re-recording. However, my love for his work doesn’t get compromised this time around as DSP has scores majorly on both counts, with Kamal Haasan writing the lyrics for all the songs barring Oyyale which is written by Viveka. [Side note: The difference is quite evident]. Neela Vaanam, Thakida Thatham and the poem [yes it was still in the film] by Trisha and Kamal Haasan are the pick of the lot. A special must be made to the costumes of all the artists as each look amazing and natural to the character they played.

Amongst all the good stuff what can I say about the downfalls? Yes they are there. Kamal Haasan isn’t perfect as a writer as I wish he had given the actress who plays his wife and Oviya [Madhan marriageable cousin, Sunandha] a little more screen time and depth, respectively. It does get a little predictable but when the pluses outweigh the minuses, it is really easy to overlook these factors.  

At the end of it all, you will look into yourself and think how honest you are to your relationships while you tap your feet to the title track Manmadhan Ambu.

Rating: 4/5


Thanks to my twitter friend Vivek Ranjit's review, just found out that Gouthami is the mastermind behind the costumes. Cool!