How rhetorical? "Kadhakelu kadhakelu, sugamaana kadhakelu", the film starts to roll from a song telling you the complete story, more like a foreword about the film you are about to be entertained for life. One of Kamal's finest performances as an actor handling the role of a hero, a comedian and a villain is pure genius. Glad he didn't play one of the heroines and saved it for 'Avvai Shanmugi'! Yes, I'm talking about Singeetam Srinivasa Rao directed Michael Madana Kamarajan, fondly called as MMKR.
A sad day at the office, a boring evening and a depressed night without any sleep- Can all these be cured and addressed by a single film? Yes, MMKR it is. A film that saves you from the clutches of an evil eating your life, it can make you forget your EMIs. MMKR is a laugh-riot; MMKR is an experience bringing the suppressed joy; MMKR is thorough entertainment; MMKR is sensible, larger than life and logical.
How can a story of quadruplets be made into an enterprising film? How can four different Kamals be placed in a single frame and you find it really hard to concentrate and pay your attention on one Kamal. Written by the archetypal Kamal with dialogues by Crazy Mohan, MMKR is bound to lead the list of most favorite movies of all time. A cautious watch on the screenplay tells when there is so much to tell and a lot more to connect, films like MMKR easily engage and entertain. A London return, a cook, a firefighter and a crook, the diversity in the roles of Kamal ranging from body language, the lingo and the getups, the master-actor was at his best.
MMKR is a delight for Kamal worshipers. Getting to see him throughout the film is like managing the best pick on a sale day. MMKR is that one film where you need no reason to validate why you patronize it. MMKR holds the record for a rare feat where people have managed to watch it over a hundred times. There could be a MMKR quiz conducted among such enthusiasts who can structurally break down every frame of the film.
When comedy films fail to be critically appreciated, MMKR was much ahead of its time, making it an evergreen hit. From puns to funny one-liners to amazingly orchestrated situation-comedies, MMKR is fresh and new every time. There is so much to notice and the director's ability to have effortlessly pulled off such a story will irritate all the aspirants to come up with another film like MMKR. Numerous characters make MMKR an interesting watch. MMKR will be that one film where you like somebody more than just Kamal. SN Lakshmi's role of a kleptomaniac grandmother is a character every yesteryear heroine would dream for.
With originally funny people, it’s easier to make a funny movie. MMKR will be that one film with a star-cast longer than the Maliga saamaan list of the paati. If a film has 90 scenes, MMKR has 92 appealing scenes. Filled with high-points following each other, there is not one dry area. Even the songs are either montage' or grippingly made packages. When films were plot-driven, MMKR is a relay race of characters shouldering the story and running along. Not much time spent on establishing the characters, the film is bang on.
Kamal trying to exit through a showcase door, the other Kamal taking the blade out of his mouth, the funnier Kamal's comical mush, the fishy joke, scratching the armpit scenario, the mango usage, 'catch my point’ phrase, rice painting, Madan's laptop, Bheem's persona, Santhana Bharathi's flute solo from an empty quarter bottle, Khusbhoo's wet saree, Urvashi's innocent face, Krishna Prasad's way of saying Madan in two different ways, Nagesh's futile attempt, Rubini on the wheelchair, Manoroma's Telugu and not forgetting Ilayaraja's histrionics with the BGM, MMKR is a classic that'll be your get-together movie or a movie that will bring you back to your original self. Crazy Mohan and his crazy dialogues make MMKR creatively intimidating.
MMKR is no less when the technicalities are being judged. Gowrishankar's camera work, especially in the climax with all the Kamals moving around and the scene where Bheem jumps off the window are standalone examples of staging complicated arrangements. The costumes and the production value make MMKR rich and eloquent. Though the climax portions resembling the ending of Chaplin's Gold rush, MMKR will be celebrated for its healthy-humor, noteworthy performances and never boring screenplay.
When Madan finds it hard to place the tea glass on the window rail without the spectacles on, the comical fight in a public bathroom, Kameshwaran's scooter sound and lot other authentic detailing positions MMKR as one of the best magical films ever made. I have seen MMKR more than the number of times I've seen my face on the mirror.
