Two hits in a row for Vishal !

 

After ‘Theeratha Vilayaatu Pillai’ and ‘Samar’, the Vishal-Director Thiru combo is back again for the third time with ‘Naan Sigappu Manidhan’….. This movie joins the long list of Tamil movies based on disorders (‘Chandramukhi’, ‘Anniyan’, ‘Ghajini’)…

‘Naan Sigappu Manidhan’ revolves around the protagonist who suffers from Narcolepsy (sleeping disorder)……..How his disorder impacts his life, forms the crux of the movie….

In terms of acting, a new subdued and underplaying Vishal has emerged….He carries over from where he left in ‘Pandiya Naadu’….Gone are the days where he bashes up fifty thugs… J

Lakshmi Menon has come a long way from ‘Sundarapandian’ and looks more refined & polished now.. ;) Despite featuring in a limited role, she performs well…..The supporting cast of Jegan, Jeyaprakash, Iniya and Saranya play their parts excellently....

While the first half focuses on the disorder and romance, the story turns on its head  at intermission…..The second half turns out to be a vendetta mission with a lengthy flashback…

For those who love twists and turns, the second half will definitely be a treat….Its completely unpredictable (very much like ‘Race’) and keeps you guessing till the end… J Rather than using Narcolepsy to waste the entire movie, the director opts to use it as a utility theme to supplement the main story…Kudos to Thiru…J

Facts like water acting as a repellent to the sleeping disorder and ability to hear despite being asleep (due to Narcolepsy) help the cause of the movie well including the underwater lip-lock scene !!

While none of the songs are big hits, GV Prakash gets the theme music spot on….Fantastic BGM throughout the movie!

Overall, the story has a typical commercial first half followed by an even better and thrilling second half..

Verdict:

Two hits in a row for Vishal !

                                                                                                                      -NB

Siva & Anirudh save us from ‘Live Murder’ in the theatre !!

Actor-turned-comedian Siva Karthikeyan is paired up with the ever-so-bubbly Hansika Motwani in this Rom-Com by Thirukumaran (AR Murugadoss’s associate), which also happens to be his directorial debut…..

If it was marathon running in ‘Ethir Neechal’, this time, ‘Maan Karate’ is a tale of how Siva woos his lady love by boxing!! The story has a definite AR Muragadoss touch and the fantasy element in the movie (though interesting) looks a bit far fetched… 

Siva plays Royapuram a.k.a ‘Maan-Karate’ Peter (  ), a carefree young man who turns boxer ‘overnight’ to prove his love..Though his acting is quite the same, Siva has improved extremely well in dancing and sparkles in all the songs…. While the likes of Surya and Vikram take extreme measures to change appearance, Siva continues to shift roles (marathon runner to boxer) with absolutely zero effort… 

Hansika Motwani does not have much role in the movie, except to look pretty and dazzling, which she achieves easily...  Vamsi Krishna looks convincing as ‘Killer’ Peter, the nemesis of ‘Maan-Karate’ Peter in the boxing competition…..When he roars in the press meet ‘You will see live murder’ (when he faces Siva), you are pretty convinced that he means every word !!

Siva’s antics with Hansika and his friends Sathish & Co ensure a very entertaining first half….But post intermission, the introduction of Suri and the lengthy (yawn) boxing tournament is boring….

In the music front, Anirudh-Siva combo strikes gold again after ‘Ethir Neechal’….Even prior to movie release, all songs were chartbusters and have served as a huge lift for the entire movie…The ‘Maan Karate’ BGM in the climax is fantastic… 

Tamil Cinema has witnessed the hero rise to power steadily through the entire movie (‘Naayagan’), turn the tables on the villain in one-half of the movie (‘Sivaji’), become rich in a single song (‘Annamalai’)…But Siva goes a step further and turns boxer in exactly 2 minutes of the movie…Height of fast-forwarding !!

Rather than taking one step at a time, Siva seems to be trying to get into the ‘mass hero’ role too soon….For example, when the movie ends with Siva in the ‘Maan-Karate’ stance, you can’t help getting the ‘over-heroism’ feeling…:D

Overall, ‘Maan Karate’ definitely has its flaws, but Siva’s humor and Anirudh’s music iron out those flaws and makes it watchable… 

Verdict:
Siva and Anirudh save us from ‘Live Murder’ in the theatre ... ;)
                                                                                                                                    -NB