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| MAANJA
VELU MOVIE REVIEW |
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| Review
by : Behindwoods review board |
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Starring:
Arun Vijay, Dhanshika, Prabhu, Karthik,
Suresh Gopi.
Direction:
A Venkatesh
Music:
Mani Sharma
Production:
Feather Touch Entertainment |
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The
Malai Malai team is back again, expecting
to recreate or even better the success
they had the first time round. For their
second outing, they have chosen to remake
a Telugu super hit Lakshyam which looks
to satisfy all kinds of audiences. Maanja
Velu is a venture that is laden with an
array of stars and familiar faces and
Feather Touch Entertainments has not left
any stone unturned to make sure that their
second outing doesn’t fall short
of their previous effort.
Maanja Velu tells the story of a happy
family. Arun Vijay is the youngest son
of the family and Karthik (hot on a comeback
trail) is his elder brother. Anu Haasan
plays Karthik’s wife. Karthik is
an honest and righteous cop and this guarantees
that there are quite a few criminals baying
for his blood. Karthik’s adversaries
plot a way of finishing him. Does he walk
into the trap? What happens after and
how Arun Vijay gets involved in this and
gets even with the criminals forms the
story of Maanja Velu in a nutshell.
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Maanja Velu is a fine mix of all the elements that
go towards making a mass masala entertainer. There
is the happy family, romance, and ample scope for
comedy, oodles of sentiments, action and revenge.
Having been adapted from a super hit Telugu movie,
one does expect Maanja Velu to deliver, but it does
seem to lack that vital punch which would have made
it a sure bet at the box office. One feels that director
A. Venkatesh (in charge of the screenplay) could have
had a better grip on the proceedings. Having said
that, Maanja Velu is hardly a bad or boring movie.
It has got a screenplay that maintains consistent
tempo and some top class performers who make it worth
a watch.
Talking about the cast will take some doing because
of the array of artistes present. But, first one has
to discuss Karthik. If anyone has to know the meaning
of a great comeback, then they have to go and watch
Karthik in Maanja Velu. He surprises and delights.
Surprises, because after all these years of oblivion
he has come back looking just as dashing and charming
as he was in his heydays. Delightful, because Tamil
cinema has been missing this kind of an actor for
sometime now. One great thing about this comeback
is that like many other lead actors of his time, Karthik
has not resurfaced as a senior character artiste.
Looking at him in Maanja Velu, one feels that he is
good enough to reemerge as a lead star all over again.
At many points in the movie he rolls back the years
and his fans (there were quite a few of them in the
audience) were in raptures, especially when he danced
to ‘Rajadhi Raja’ song from ‘Agninatchathiram’.
All in all, this is one of the best comebacks of the
decade and we hope he is here to stay.
Arun
Vijay has very evidently worked out of his skin to
bring out a good product. The effort can be seen in
the way he has improved in the dance and fight sequences.
He, along with Karthik, carries the movie effectively
on their shoulders well close to the climax where
Prabhu appears as a police officer and adds immense
value. In a short role, Prabhu shows how experienced
and classy he is, a fine cameo. Others in the cast,
including Vijayakumar (as Arun Vijay’s father)
and Anu Haasan are apt for their roles, while Kota
Sreenivasa Rao is as convincing as ever as the villain.
Comic acts by Ganja Karuppu and Santhanam are enjoyable
at points, with the latter scoring well. But, there
are points where the jokes fall flat. All said and
done, casting is definitely one of the strongest points
of Maanja Velu.
One element present in pretty strong doses in Maanja
Velu is glamour and that has been taken care of by
Thanshika. Three songs seem to have been tailor made
for glamour parades and they have been exploited to
the full. One wonders how it will go down with the
families.
The technical crew has supported the movie well, but
there is nothing spectacular. But, the producer’s
commitment towards delivering a quality product is
evident at many points, especially the locations in
which the songs have been shot.
Maanja Velu is an entertainer that aims to satisfy
all types of audiences and A. Venkatesh has managed
to create a screenplay that takes care of all requirements.
But, there is a feeling that the full potential of
the script has not been realized. It is still a decent
entertainer which can be watched especially for its
wonderful casting.
Verdict:
Balanced commercial mix
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| Tags
: Maanja
Velu, Arun
Vijay, Prabhu,
Dhansika,
A
Venkatesh,
Mani
Sharma |
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