Muthukku Muthaga is a product of director Rasu Madhuravan, whose last outing was Mayandi Kudumbathar, and the director has safely attempted a similar genre which he is familiar with. MM is a family saga that talks about familial relationships, the significant role parents play in the lives of their children and their sacrifices and disappointments. Rasu has used the talents of seasoned artistes Saranya Ponvannan and Ilavarasu to drive home his point.

Saranya and Ilavarasu have five sons who dote on them and vice versa. Ilavarasu with his meager earnings raises his five sons decently. The path of each son is varied and the parents help them travel the journey of life as an active and passive companion as per the situation. But what happens in the evening of their life is what MM tries to present.

Although the theme focuses on relationships, the narration is jumpy and not cohesive. The mood leaps from one emotion to the other making it impossible for the audience to get involved in the film. One scene shows the entire family in sorrow struggling to bring a son out of jail and in the very next scene we see another son having a whale of a time with his girlfriend and the next scene we are bombarded with a totally unconnected issue which makes us wonder about the happenings on screen. MM also has men doing the voyeur act in a trial room which seems to appear in most of the Tamil films these days.

Screenplay lacks the power and intensity to connect with the audience. In the name of jokes, Singam Puli gives a tiring time and earns the wrath of the audience. And when are our filmmakers going to get out of their ‘patta patti’ obsession? It is gross and repulsive.

Rasu has hugely depended on Saranya and Ilavarasu to accomplish his mission and the veteran artistes have not let him down. Saranya’s portrayal as the naïve, good natured mom is natural and lively. Same goes for Ilavarasu whose subtle and able depiction in handling sensitive family issues is praiseworthy. The couple does tug at your hearts in some sequences. But they are getting repetitive in their act especially Saranya who, by far in her career has done many roles of the same mold and has the danger to get slotted. Natraj, Harish, Veer Samar, Vikranth are the sons whose acting do not make any impact. Monica overreacts and Oviya annoys.

Rasu finally says that it is important to keep one’s parents happy when they are alive rather than keep them on a pedestal after they are dead and gone. A good thought indeed but Rasu’s execution fails him. Take off a few scenes and minus a few decades and MM may have worked then. Muthukku Muthaga may find a few patrons in the villages.

Verdict: Mediocre